The Past Never Fades
by lonely-Umbreon455
Summary: Itachi returns to Konoha and is put on probation. He runs into some old friends. Will they welcome him back with open arms? I suck at summaries. Better than it sounds. ItachixHana, OCxOC, slight GenmaxShizune & SasukexSakura
1. Itachi's Return

**I do not own Naruto. The characters may be a little OC.**

**I do own Tsuki Hayato, Aiko, and other characters that I may make up though.

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Tsunade looks at the man before her. He hasn't changed in appearance since he left the village but he claims to have had a change of heart. Or something like that. _I can tell by his heart beat that what he says is true. It wasn't his fault. Those eyes corrupted him. But how do I know he won't revert back to his old ways. How can I be sure he isn't a threat?_

"In order to make sure you are truly loyal to Kohona, you will be placed on probation. Someone will constantly be by your side to observe your behavior. You will not be permitted to go on missions or even step foot out of the village. Am I clear Uchiha Itachi?"

Itachi nods and she looks to Hatake Kakashi who is standing beside him. Kakashi had been the one to escort him to the Hokage's office. He seems to be the perfect candidate for Itachi's supervisor because of his rank and sharingan.

"Do you see a problem with being the one to keep an eye on Itachi?" she asks.

"Actually Naruto, Sakura, and I are already keeping tabs on Sasuke since his return. I think it would be best if Itachi was in someone else's care. There is someone else though that I would highly recommend," he replies. Tsunade nods. "Find them. Tell them I need to speak with them." Kakashi departs in search of the capable ninja.

Kakashi is jumping from roof to roof when he suddenly hears yelling below him. He stops and looks down to see Sasuke and Naruto sitting in Ichiraku's. Apparently they are arguing over something yet again. The two are friends once more but they seem to find enjoyment in harassing each other. Kakashi sighs and decides to deal with it later. He has a task for the Hokage to complete.

As he nears the training grounds, he senses the familiar chakra he has been searching for. He looks up to find the ninja relaxing in a tree. Their flak jacket has been discarded and is hanging on a branch beside him. They must have been training earlier because the only time Kakashi has ever seen the ninja wear the vest was during a mission or training.

Kakashi bends down to pick up a rock before whipping it at the lazy ninja's head who swiftly catches it. They crush the rock but their eyes remain closed. "Normally people call out to get someone's attention. But you throw a rock at me even though I already knew you were there, Kakashi. I could sense your chakra and hear the rock cutting through the air. Anyway, what do you want? Can't you see I'm a little busy right now?"

"I can see that. The Hokage has a task for you and needs to see you immediately." As Kakashi leaves, the ninja sighs and finally opens their eyes. They quickly put on their vest and make their way towards the Hokage's Tower.

Back in her office, Tsunade is showing obvious signs of impatience while Itachi remains unmoving and calm. There is a light rap on the door before the person behind it speaks. "Kakashi said you wished to see me, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage has a smile on her face at the recognition of the voice. _They will be perfect. You made a good choice Kakashi._ "Yes, please come in. You have a new mission."

The door opens to reveal a young man about twenty. His brown hair is slightly askew from the run. His brown eyes show intense boredom but a spark of curiosity appears in them when he catches sight of Itachi. He silently adjusts his headband as he awaits Tsunade's instructions.

"Itachi, I'm sure you remember Tsumi Hayato. You two were on the same team as genin after all, even though that time was short," says Tsunade.

The Uchiha looks back at the ninja who entered. He remembers him clearly. Itachi had always thought Hayato was below him and the two had been rivals from the beginning. They were opposites. Hayato was noisy and free spirited while he was cold and silent. Over time a friendship formed between them though. The bonds were weak but existent none the less.

"Hayato, you will be monitoring Uchiha Itachi while he serves his probation. He will be required to be with you at all times so you'll be living together. Itachi will not be given any missions and under no circumstances is he to leave the village."

Hayato speaks for the first time since he entered. "So we basically can only wander around the village all day during his probation. I won't receive another mission until his time is up."

"You will still be allowed to train as long as Itachi's behavior isn't threatening to the village's safety. And I'm sorry but you are the only one truly qualified to handle this. You won't be given another assignment during this time, Hayato."

Itachi finds it hard to believe that Hayato is "the only one truly qualified." When they were younger, Hayato was always far behind him in ability. Even before he left, Itachi was the captain of the ANBU while Hayato was a mere chunin.

Although Hayato doesn't particularly benefit from all of the Hokage's instructions, he agrees none the less. "Fine. Let's go Uchiha."

With that the two leave and there is silence between them as they walk through the village to Hayato's apartment. About half way through the walk, Hayato glances at Itachi and smiles. "You haven't changed much since back then, huh?"

Itachi looks at the man beside him emotionlessly. Hayato doesn't seem fazed by his old teammate's demeanor and tries again to strike up a conversation. "Anyway, I guess you'll be staying with me for a while." He continues to watch his friend as they walk until Itachi finally says something.

"Do you still live in that dump of an apartment?" His question angers Hayato who grits his teeth. "That was not a dump. And no, I don't. I moved about two years ago." Silence meets his answer. "Aren't you going to ask about the village or anything?!? It's been like…8 years!"

"No. Idiot."

"Bastard," Hayato remarks before letting a grin come across his face. Beside him, he doesn't see Itachi allow a small smile. _Just like old times,_ they both think.

Itachi surprisingly begins another conversation. "Does Aiko still live with you?" When he doesn't receive an answer, he turns to find that Hayato has stopped a few meters behind him and is staring at the ground. "Hayato?" he calls.

Hayato looks up and shakes his head to clear his thoughts. When he catches up to Itachi, he mutters "We'll discuss it back home." After that the remainder of the way home is filled with an uncomfortable silence.

They walk until they are standing before the door to Hayato's apartment. He digs a set of keys from his pocket and unlocks the door. They step inside and Itachi is surprised by how clean the place is. Hayato had never seemed to care much about the cleanliness of his home when they were younger.

"It's bigger than your old apartment," Itachi observes. He hears a light chuckle. "Yeah, lucky for you it has two bedrooms." He leads Itachi down the hall and stops in front of a room. "You'll be staying here."

The room isn't big but it will serve its purpose just fine. They notice that Itachi doesn't have any belongings to fill the room with. They decide to deal with the matter after some lunch. As they eat, the topic of Aiko is brought up again.

"So what happened to Aiko?" asks Itachi.

"She was on a C-ranked mission and still a genin. Her teammates persuaded the Hokage into giving them a real mission. Nothing major. That is until a missing nin showed up. According to her teammates, he tortured her with some jutsu. Aiko was in critical condition when her team returned. There weren't any medic nins who could heal her. Tsunade hadn't come back yet. A few days later, my sister died. It happened about 4 years after you left. I became a jonin that year. She never got to see it though."

By now Hayato is rambling. Itachi believes that may be because he has kept to himself over the years and it was tearing him apart. He watches his friend as he tightly closes is eyes as if in pain.

"I was all alone. Aiko and I had been on our own since the kyuubi attacked the village and killed our parents. Then I lost my best friend and my little sister a couple years after that."

Hayato's eyes snap open and Itachi can see them flash with anger. Hayato slams his fists on the table. "And you know what else? Kiyoko died too. It happened when the sound and sand attacked during the chunin exams. But you didn't care to ask about her earlier. She was our teammate and you don't give a fuck! Do you have any idea how hard I've worked so that I could kick your ass if I ever ran into you?!? My world came crashing down after you left. Those I cared the most about are gone."

Itachi is only slightly surprised by the outburst. Hayato always was passionate about the things he cared about. Itachi had seen that as one of his weaknesses though. Still, the words sting and Itachi can't help but feel guilty.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have been so insensitive."

Hayato is surprised by the Uchiha's apology. "Well if you're done lets go. I don't want to take forever buying clothes and whatever other crap we need to get. I want to try and fit some training in before the day ends also."

* * *

"Why does it take girls so long to shop? They take hours looking for a single outfit. We just bought an entire wardrobe in an hour and a half," Hayato comments. 

"Not all girls spend hours shopping, Hayato!" calls an irritated voice from behind the two ninja. They turn around to see that it was Inuzuka Hana. She is standing a few meters behind them but can hear them clearly with her acute senses. Her hair is pulled back in a pony tail as usual. The red marks on her checks are clearly visible even from this distance. From the way she reacted, Itachi can safely assume her personality hasn't undergone much change since they were younger. Hayato raises his hands defensively.

"Relax. Some girls do. I never said you specifically," he counters. She rolls her eyes and walks up to them. "This is a surprise. Why is Itachi here? He's an S-class criminal."

"I did those deeds because I was corrupted. I didn't really have any control over what I was doing." Hana nods and looks back at Hayato. "Anyway, what have you been up to? You seem to be gone on missions a lot lately."

"Yeah, the missions keep pouring in. I'm actually on a mission now. I'm overseeing Itachi while he serves his probation."

Itachi refrains from rolling his eyes at Hayato's tone. "Must you sound so pleased when you say that?"

"Yes. I'm supervising my childhood rival who was always better than me. Now I'm the superior one and you'll be taking orders from me." Itachi scoffs at his comment.

Hayato looks between Itachi and Hana. He seems to have suddenly remembered something and beams. "Hey Hana, how about the three of us go get some drinks?"

Itachi raises an eyebrow. "I thought we were going to train."

"Well now I think you should start catching up with your comrades. You've been gone for 8 years and the shinobi have changed. Learn about the comrades you will be going on missions with in the future. Don't waste the time you have now. It's not like you can do much of anything else."

Hana nods. "He does have a point, Itachi. You should catch up with old friends."

"Fine."

Immediately after the word leaves his lips, Itachi and Hana are dragged to the closest bar by Hayato. They have no trouble finding empty seats since it is the middle of the afternoon. Itachi finds himself sitting between Hana and Hayato.

"Alright, I'm buying. Taro, get me the usual," says Hayato with a grin. "Right away, Tsuki-san."

Itachi leans over to Hana and quietly asks so only she can hear, "Since when does Hayato drink?"

"He started just after he turned 18, not long after he became a jonin. He was so respected that no one cared if he was underage. Everyone thought he would be responsible because of his rapid maturity after you left. He comes here a lot. I think it's his way of dealing with his problems," she answers.

_It wasn't long after Aiko and Kiyoko's deaths. Now he's drinking to cover up the pain that has built up. He's become an alcoholic._

"What are you two whispering about? Aren't you going to order a drink? I said I was buying." Itachi faces Hayato to find he has already downed his entire beverage.

"You shouldn't be drinking so much or often. It messes with your coordination, reaction time, and other vital qualities a ninja needs," Itachi scolds. Hayato glares slightly before standing up. He pulls out a kunai and throws it to his left out of the bar. He looks out and Itachi follows his gaze. The kunai has pinned a leaf to a tree and hadn't hit a single passerby in the crowded street.

"I don't drink until I'm wasted. I know the consequences and drink responsibly. I can't afford to get hammered. If I didn't all my missions would have failed and my comrades would have died because of me."

The two ninja stare at each other until Hayato goes out to retrieve his kunai. Hana taps Itachi's shoulder and he turns to face her. When she speaks it is in a hushed tone. "I never said he would get drunk everyday. He is responsible. He has to be or else he wouldn't be an ANBU."

A look of shock appears to cross Itachi's face, but it is quickly removed and it is hard to tell if it was ever there. "Hayato is an ANBU. Since when?" Hana looks a little confused at the question. "Since about two years ago. He's been training like crazy. It's really all he has. He never told you?" Itachi shakes his head as Hayato walks back into the bar.

"Damn children can be annoying. Some kid kept bugging me to give him my kunai. I swear he was only four. He shouldn't be away from his mother anyway none the less playing with weapons. Seriously, when the two of you have kids-"

"Why didn't you tell me you were accepted by ANBU?" Itachi asks cutting Hayato off as he sits beside him. He shrugs. "Never really came up. Besides we'll be together for a while. There is plenty of time for us to catch up."

Hana, who had gone tense near the end of Hayato's earlier rant, comments on a different subject. "What do you mean by 'when the two of you have kids'?"

"Hmm…ohh, well you and Itachi were somewhat close before the…incident. You, Hana, are one of the very few people who have gotten to get to know Itachi. You, Itachi, never really opened up to Hana but you were comfortable around her. You had developed feeling for each other. Others may not have seen it but I did because Itachi was my closest friend. You complemented each other back then and I assume you still do now. You both are highly respectable, strong, and intelligent. Even though Itachi is more of the silent type and you are more outgoing, there was a connection and there always will be. Like they say opposites attract."

There is an awkward silence and Itachi inwardly curses Hayato's big mouth. Hayato orders his forth drink from Taro. "You're drunk." Hayato looks at Itachi from the corner of his eye. He can see Hana nodding her head in agreement. "If that's what you want to believe then go ahead. You'll only be delaying the inevitable."

Itachi and Hana avoid making eye contact. Hayato catches the faint blushes on their faces and smiles knowingly. _I can read them like books. Why do they bother denying it? I have to help them out. They need one another. Too bad they're both stubborn as well. That makes getting them together more difficult. On top of that, I don't know the first thing about relationships!_

Hayato looks at his companions and inwardly sighs. He stands and fishes some money out of his pocket for the drinks. "Let's go back home, Itachi. You need to put your stuff in your room. It was nice seeing you again, Hana." Itachi stands and Hayato elbows him in the ribs. Itachi nods his good bye.

_Man do I have a long way to go,_ Hayato thinks.

As soon as they are out of sight, Hana orders the strongest drink. Taro looks at the woman with an eyebrow raised. "Something wrong, Inuzuka-san? You hardly ever drink."

"Yeah well, Hayato's quick observations are a little unsettling."

Taro smiles at her comment. "Maybe that's because they're true." He receives a glare from the Inuzuka and the topic is promptly dropped. After all, angering an Inuzuka isn't the best idea.

* * *

It is late but Hayato and Itachi are still awake.

"I told you I've been training hard since you left!"

"Why didn't you become the ANBU captain then?" Itachi's swiftly replies.

"I could have if I really wanted to. I was offered the position." Itachi looks at Hayato who answers his unasked question. "To me, that will always be your position. I would feel like I was betraying you. And I don't want complete responsibility of my comrades' lives on my shoulders. I'd crack under the pressure. I already put the lives of my teammates before my own. That's enough for me."

Itachi is shocked by his words. Even though Itachi had betrayed the village, Hayato had still been a loyal friend.

Hayato checks the clock. "It's pretty late. Since we didn't train today, we'll have to get up early to make it up. It'd be best to get some sleep. The bathroom is the second door on the left if you need it." With that Hayato leaves for his room to get a good nights sleep.

Itachi follows soon after. As he lies in bed, he stares up at the ceiling. He can't help but think how kindly Hayato has treated him. How quickly he accepted him back.

He remembers why they had become friends when they were younger. Hayato didn't demand greatness from him like his family. Hayato was a loyal teammate that wouldn't think twice about sacrificing himself for his comrades, even Itachi who was his rival. Hayato had once shared his lunch with him when Itachi hadn't brought one to training. With those thoughts, Itachi's eyelids become heavy and he falls asleep.

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**Alright, how was that? I could use some ideas for this story so feel free to send me your thoughts. Don't forget to review! And Happy Belated Halloween!**


	2. Tough Training

**Tough Training**

Itachi looks at the man in front of him. He's been holding back against his friend. Hayato appears to be holding back as well. It's probably for the best since it's their first spar in a long time. They are mainly practicing taijustu today. Every so often, they must dodge a stray shuriken or kunai though.

It is still early in the morning when they take a break. They are panting slightly and beads of sweat have formed on their faces. The sun is just peaking over the trees when Itachi speaks up. "You should be wearing your flak jacket."

Hayato laughs. "I don't need it. I only wear it during high ranked mission or really intense training. It's unnecessary baggage," he says as he lies back with his head resting on his hands.

"You're a shinobi so you should be wearing your gear," Itachi states. Hayato sits up before retorting "Well then where's your vest, Itachi? You're not even wearing a forehead protector."

"You know as well as I do that I can't wear that stuff. I won't receive them until my probation is over. I'm not a true Konoha ninja until I get my headband and that won't be for a while."

Hayato glances at his friend. Itachi appears impassive but Hayato knows how much Itachi wants to be a trustworthy ninja again. Hayato reaches into his bag and pulls out a senbon. He places it in his mouth before turning back to Itachi.

"Hey Itachi, guess who I am."

Said man looks at Hayato before shaking his head. Hayato's maturity has dropped since Itachi's return.

"Oh come on. Have a little fun for once. Its not like I'm making you sing karaoke. That would be awesome if I could though."

Itachi gives Hayato a glare that says 'try it and I'll kill you.' Hayato holds the gaze and Itachi eventually gives in.

"Shiranui Genma." Hayato responds with a smile. "Why are you imitating your cousin?" Itachi asks.

"To change the topic. I think that's enough training for now. Let's get some breakfast and wander the village for a while."

They begin walking back to the village and a comfortable silence falls between them. As they walk the streets Itachi recognizes a few faces. Many people immediately know who he is when they see him even if they never met him face to face. Most point and stare at him. From what he can hear, they all are wondering why he's back in the village.

They continue their walk and soon run into the very person Hayato was imitating. Genma hasn't changed much from what Itachi remembers. His hair a little longer but he still has a senbon placed between his teeth.

Hayato gives a small gesture before greeting his relative. "Hey Genma, I was just talking about you."

Genma doesn't seem pleased by this news. He tries to remain cool as he asks for an explanation. Hayato just smiles and places his own senbon in his mouth.

Genma jaw tightens and he briefly chews on the metal in this mouth before making a sarcastic comment. "That's great. You should hang out with Izumo and Kotetsu. They love to make fun of me. They say it's a toothpick."

He looks at Itachi then says "Maybe you can make him grown-up some. You'd be doing me a huge favor."

He turns to leave but doesn't get far before Hayato asks "How's Shizune?"

A kunai slices through the air towards Hayato's head. He is easily able to dodge as if he was expecting it. "Man, he's always so touchy about that topic. He's moving a little faster too."

"Of course he does. You piss him off," Itachi remarks.

"That's because he doesn't want anyone to know about him and Shizune. Their relationship is well hidden but they spend a little more time together than necessary. I know Genma very well so I can sense these things."

"You can't sense something like that. It isn't chakra."

"Hey, I can sense that bond between you and Hana as clear as day." Itachi isn't able to think of a comeback that will help him win this argument so he just ignores Hayato. The silence that meets his comment makes Hayato inwardly smile.

They soon begin their walk to get breakfast again. They grab something quick and after Hayato decides to go to the book store. He picks up a few books and manuals. He also grabs some scrolls about different clans. He pays and holds half of them out to Itachi.

"Why should I carry them? You're the one who bought all of these," Itachi says as he looks away.

Hayato shakes his head. "That's not it. I bought them as a gift for you. I remember how much time you spent studying different jutsu and stuff. Your old books and scrolls are out of date by now so I got you some that are more recent. Besides, you've got plenty of free time and they can give you more information than I could."

Itachi nods his thank and takes half of the stack.

As they make their way back to the apartment, an ash, grey dog runs up to them from the right. When they stop, the dog sniffs Itachi. Hayato shifts his books and reaches down to pat its head. Two more dogs soon calmly join the other followed closely by Hana.

"Sorry guys. Takeo was pretty excited about seeing you again, Itachi," Hana says. Itachi nods in understanding. One of the two dogs beside her barks at Takeo who returns to Hana's side. "I didn't have my dogs last time. I was just walking Daichi, Hiro, and Takeo when we smelled you."

"Hey Hana, how about the three of us go train later? Your techniques and style differ from ours. It will add some variety. What do you say?" Hayato asks.

Hana shrugs. "I don't see a problem with that. I need to work until 3 so lets meet at the training grounds at 3:30."

They depart and Itachi and Hayato continue their walk to their apartment. They place the books down and Hayato searches the stack for one. He finds it and holds it out to Itachi who glances at the title: Inuzuka clan.

"Why did you get that?" Itachi asks. _Is he trying to prove or force me into liking Hana?_

"You need to know the ninja in the village. And we're going to train with Hana aren't we? It's good to know as much about your opponent as you can. Brush up on the clan's justus and style of battle," Hayato responds as he sits on the couch.

Itachi sits beside him and flips through the book to study the clan. He spent most of the time learning about only one specific member and blamed it on the fact that she would be training with him later. That is the only logical explanation for why he cares that she is a chunin, a veterinarian, and that her birthday is April 13th. So what if he wants to know more about her instead of the entire clan.

He snorts slightly when he sees that her name means flower. Hayato looks at his friend in wonder but Itachi doesn't take notice.

_Hana would flip if she saw this. Her name means dog nose not flower, _Itachi thinks to himself.

Hayato catches a glimpse of what Itachi is looking at. He shakes his head with a hint of a smile gracing his features.

It isn't long until they go out to wander the village again. Hayato points out some ninja and talks about how much they've grown. He mentions how Hyuuga Hiashi is still feared and respected even though he has become grey and old.

"Gai is as annoying as ever. Always challenging Kakashi to the stupidest tests. I heard from Haruno Sakura that Gai carried Kakashi on his back from Suna and the sight was nasty. Apparently, it got worse when Gai started to run."

Itachi smirks. "And why were you talking to Sakura? She's a medic nin after all."

Hayato glares at Itachi's observation. "I was on a mission and Gai was on my team. The idiot was walking back to the village on his hands for training and we were ambushed. I took a few hits for him and ended up having to go to the hospital. I got a few gashes that needed to be healed. I was pissed at Gai and Sakura told me the story to lighten my mood."

Itachi continues to smirk slightly so Hayato yells at him. "Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything," Itachi coolly replies.

"You think it's funny that I got ambushed and hurt."

"That's because you're so cocky about your skill and abilities."

"Shut up," Hayato mutters as they make their way to the training grounds to meet Hana.

* * *

Hayato watches from the shade of a tree as Hana and Itachi spar. Itachi is outnumbered four to one because of the Haimaru Triplets but finds no need to activate his Sharingan. Hayato is impressed by how greatly Itachi has improved. He wasn't able to thoroughly observe Itachi when they trained earlier. What interests him the most is how Itachi trapped Hana in some sort of genjutsu without her realizing it.

Hayato looks up at the sky for a moment then back to Itachi and Hana. He sees Itachi taking on Hana's dogs while Hana tries to escape his genjutsu.

_Might as well get some of my own training in,_ Hayato thinks to himself. He bites his thumb until blood is drawn and makes a few hand signs before putting his bloody hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu."

A falcon appears where he had placed his hand. Hayato's mouth becomes a slight frown. "I can't seem to summon anything bigger than you. No offense Hansuke, but I was hoping for a bigger falcon."

Hansuke ruffles his feathers before turning his back to Hayato. "Well excuse me. It's not my fault you haven't mastered the jutsu yet."

Hayato gives a light chuckle before holding out his arm. "I'm sorry, Hansuke. I should have been more grateful."

Hansuke jumps onto Hayato's arm and is praised by a gentle tickle to his stomach. "You had better be grateful. Our services are not something that should be taken for granted."

"Well my friend, since you're here could you help me with those two," Hayato asks as the gestures towards Itachi and Hana.

Hansuke's feathers ruffle again when he sees Itachi. "Why is Uchiha in Kohona?" he asks as he looks back at Hayato.

Hayato glares at the bird before saying "_Itachi_ has changed and is my friend. You have no right to judge him for his past mistakes. He is serving his probation and is our comrade."

"Fine."

"Good. Now I need you to do something for me," says Hayato as he looks back towards the two in the clearing.

Itachi has disabled Hana's dogs and Hana has escaped the jutsu. Now it is just the two of them. They are using taijutsu since they are so close. Itachi notices an opening when Hana's attention isn't completely focused on him. He goes to hit her in the stomach but something catches his eye. The object flies right behind his head and he moves his head forward. The sudden movement causes him to lose his balance and fall forward. Itachi's eyes involuntarily close and he puts his hands in front of him to break his fall.

Itachi can feel something soft beneath him and when he opens his dark eyes they meet Hana's brown ones. They aren't as fierce looking as they normally are though. His hands are on either side of her head and her cheeks are starting to grow as red as her tattoos. They both have shocked looks on their faces that are only a few inches apart.

Itachi suddenly realizes the gap between them is gradually closing and Hana's head is still flat on the ground. That means he's the one who's moving closer. He jumps up and looks around to see if anyone noticed. His eyes spot Hayato sitting beneath a tree. He is feeding a treat to a falcon on his arm.

Itachi hears Hana getting up beside him. Hayato must sense Itachi's anger because he looks at him. When he sees Itachi's glare, he gives a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry guys. I was just practicing one of my jutsu when-"

He immediately stops when he sees Itachi's eyes become blood red.

"Oh come on Itachi. It wasn't that bad was it? I promise I won't tell anyone," Hayato pleads.

Hansuke leaves Hayato to defend himself when Hana and her dogs transform into more vicious beings.

"I thought your name meant helpful friend, Hansuke. A great help you are leaving me alone to deal with these two!"

While Hayato moves to avoid their attacks, Itachi makes hand signs. A huge fireball heads straight for Hayato but he manages to get away again. The storm of attacks continues and a few hit Hayato. Itachi and Hana stop when they are finally satisfied with their work.

Itachi and Hana walk back towards the center of the village followed closely by the Haimaru triplets. A battered Hayato, who is following further back, mutters "I was just trying to help and this is the thanks I get."

Itachi and Hana, feeling the need for some drinks after the incident, go into the same bar as the day before and Hayato willingly follows. Taro warmly greets them before realizing Hayato's condition.

"Are you alright Tsuki-san?" Taro asks with a look of concern.

"Honestly, I've been better," he replies as his head hits the counter. Taro fixes him a drink and places it before him. "Thanks."

"No problem. And don't worry about paying. These are on the house," Taro says. "So what did you do now, Hayato?"

Hayato cast nervous glances at the two next to him as he tells Taro what happened. Luckily, they don't seem to hear him.

"You know something, Taro. Angering an Inuzuka is bad, but angering an Uchiha is worse. And angering both is just plain suicide." Taro chuckles at the young man's statement.

Hayato takes a huge gulp of his drink. _Maybe I should play it safe for a while. They'll never get together if they kill me. Then again they need to be pushed in the right direction. They're perfect together. Even though it caused me pain, they had incredible teamwork back at the training grounds._ He lets out a sigh. _Maybe I should wear my flak jacket more often. Who knows what could happen to me with these two around._


	3. Relaxing, Training, and Meetings Oh My!

**Itachi is kind of OOC. It's hard for him not to be in this story.

* * *

**

**Relaxing, Training, and Meetings oh my!**

Three days have passed since the event between Hana and Itachi. By now, they have stopped giving Hayato a death glare whenever he meets their eyes. Hayato, however, is never seen without his flak jacket on. Only Itachi knows for sure if he takes the vest off at all.

Itachi and Hayato spend most of their time training and wandering the village. Hayato believes everyone will start to accept and trust Itachi if they see him around a lot. It doesn't seem to be true. He only came back four days ago though so it might still happen.

"Isn't there anything else to do around here?" Itachi asks with an irritated tone.

"Sure. We could go swimming. I know the perfect place. It's secluded and a great place to relax. Do you want to go there?"

Itachi shrugs. "Why not?"

They go to their apartment and change into swimsuits and t-shirts. They grab towels and their weapons packs just in case before making their way to the river. Hayato leads Itachi along the river to an area where the water is calm. When they arrive Hayato pulls off his shirt and jumps into the water. He resurfaces and spits out some water.

"Aren't you going to get in Itachi? The water isn't all that cold," Hayato asks as he floats on his back.

Itachi sits on the ground instead of getting into the water. Seeing this, Hayato splashes him but Itachi moves out of the way. Since he failed to make Itachi come in, Hayato goes back to floating on this back.

Before long, they hear footsteps coming and four figures step out of the trees. Hayato waves at the newcomers who turn out to be Hana and the Haimaru triplets.

"I didn't know you came here," Hana mutters. She had come to the river to try to clear her head. Her mind keeps replaying Itachi lying on top of her over and over again. His face moving closer to hers made the whole scenario worse.

"I'll just come back later," she says as she turns to leave. Hayato starts to panic. _No, she can't leave. They need to get passed it. They keep pushing each other away._

"Please don't go, Hana," Hayato begs. "It's my fault that it happened and you've already punished me for it. Please stay and hang out with you friends."

Hana sighs and comes back to the water's edge.

"Thank you," Hayato whispers.

She pulls off her tank top and shorts revealing a two piece swim suit before getting in. Her dogs curl up for a nap now that Hana has decided to stay.

Itachi remains on land and watches his friends swim. Hayato starts a water fight and Hana seems to have cheered up. He sees Hayato whisper to Hana and he becomes suspicious. The two go back to goofing around but Itachi is still wary.

Hayato gets out and dries his hair. Itachi's eyes follow Hayato as he moves.

"Why don't you come in, Itachi?" Hana asks and Itachi reluctantly turns his attention to her. "You really should have more fun."

"Yeah, Itachi have some fun!"

Suddenly Itachi finds himself bound by wire. He looks up to see Hayato smiling down at him. He turns to Hana to see her smiling as well.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Nope," Hayato says as he picks his friend up. "We gave you time and you stayed on land. Now you're going in, shirt and all."

Hayato focuses chakra at his feet and walks to the middle of the river. He quickly stops focusing his chakra and frees Itachi so they both drop into the water.

When Itachi resurfaces, he is met by laughs. He doesn't get out because it would be pointless. He is already wet and Hayato will probably drag him back anyway. Instead, he makes a shadow clone to attack Hayato. His clone is pushing Hayato's head under water when Itachi turns to Hana. She tries to swim away but Itachi grabs her from behind.

"Why are you going after me? Hayato is the one who dropped you in," Hana argues.

"You are an accomplice. You distracted me while he caught me," Itachi responds. He holds her and stands on the water. His fingers brush her exposed stomach and she gives a small giggle.

"Who knew Inuzuka Hana could giggle?"

"I don't giggle," Hana says angrily. His fingers brush her stomach again and she laughs. "Itachi, that tickles."

For some reason, Itachi likes the sound she's making and begins to intentionally tickle her.

Meanwhile, Hayato has defeated Itachi's shadow clone and is enjoying the scene. He gets out of the water without the other two noticing. He goes over to Hana's dogs. _Step 1 is complete. Now on to step 2._

"Would one of you mind doing something for me when Hana and Itachi get out of the water?" Hayato asks.

One raises his head and licks Hayato's face. "Thanks Hiro. Here's what you've got to do."

Hayato explains his plan to Hiro then calls Hana and Itachi out of the river. He pretends to not have noticed what they had been doing earlier. Hayato and Itachi dry off while Hana looks around for something.

"What's up Hana?" Hayato asks as he pulls on his shirt.

"I can't find the towel I brought. Oh…wait. Never mind, I found it."** (A/N: How many of you though Hiro or Hayato took the towel?)**

She picks up her towel and walks back to Hayato and Itachi. As she nears, she stumbles over Hiro who was hanging around her feet. Itachi swiftly catches her and stands her upright. They remain like that for a while until Itachi realizes his hands are resting on her hips and he reluctantly removes them.

"Thanks," she whispers.

"Are you guys going to stand there all day?" they hear Hayato call. They turn to find Hayato and the dogs walking back along the river. They hurry to catch up them and observe him to see if he noticed what they were doing.

"What happened back there stays between us?" Hana whispers to Itachi who nods in agreement. Little did they know Hayato could hear them and had seen what happened. He looks down at Hiro who is walking beside him. He smiles at the dog and pats his head.

"Alright as soon as we're dry, we'll go train again," Hayato declares. He glances behind him and says "Feel free to join us, Hana."

Hana and Itachi catch a spark of amusement in his eyes and hear the laugh he tries to hold back. They look at each other and realize he not only knows about the tickling and stuff, but he probably caused it as well. They look back at Hayato and start chasing after him. He starts running but is soon tackled to the ground with his face in the dirt.

"Crap," he mumbles. After a wonderful beating by Itachi and Hana, the three make their way to the training grounds followed by the Haimaru triplets.

* * *

It has been a couple days and Hana has joined Itachi and Hayato for training on a regular basis. Itachi is currently working on his aim while Hayato and Hana spar. Hayato, who has been practicing his jutsu, has just summoned three falcons. 

"Hansuke, Isamu, and Miu take the dogs while I deal with Hana," Hayato tells his falcons and the training begins. The birds struggle slightly against the dogs since they are smaller but are able to hold their own.

Eventually, the fight ends and they walk to Hayato and Itachi's apartment for lunch. After they eat, Hayato needs to see the Hokage to give her a weekly report about Itachi's behavior and Hana goes with them. They are almost at the Hokage's office when they see four others outside the door. Apparently, Kakashi's report on Sasuke is due today as well. Two of the ninja seem happier to see Itachi approaching than the other two.

Flashback

Itachi and Hayato are walking through the streets when they run into Kakashi who is reading his perverted book. He is alone and Itachi thinks it is a good time to talk to him.

"Hey Kakashi, how is Sasuke?"

Kakashi rubs the back of his head. He hesitates before saying "Pretty good. I need to talk to him before you see each other though. He's not quite ready yet." He quickly adds "He will be soon though."

End Flashback

Itachi can now see for himself how true Kakashi's words were. Sasuke, who is sitting besides Sakura, doesn't look at all pleased to see his brother. Meanwhile, Naruto looks more cautious than pissed as he stands beside Sasuke. Hayato ignores the anger emitting from the youngest Uchiha and addresses Kakashi.

"How long have you been here, Kakashi?"

"Not too long. I've already given my report and we were just leaving," Kakashi answers.

Itachi sits with Hana across from the others. He tries to ignore his younger brother's glare but finds himself looking up. The anger on Sasuke's face is hard to look at and Itachi looks down ashamed. As he does so, he sees a smaller hand holding Sasuke's. He looks at Sakura who is trying to calm Sasuke down.

"It was nice to see you again. Maybe we can all talk later," Kakashi states as he pats Itachi's shoulder then Hayato's before leading his team passed Hayato, Itachi, and Hana. Itachi notices the small hug Sakura gives his brother before they disappear from sight.

"Well, that was an unexpected turn of events," Hayato mumbles before he knocks on the door and enters.

"Good afternoon, Hokage-sama."

Itachi and Hana can hear some swearing from inside before the door closes. Not much time passes until they hear footsteps approaching. They look up to see Shizune and another young woman with black hair and blue eyes walking towards them. Shizune is holding a bottle while the other woman is dressed in a medic nin uniform and is carrying paperwork.

"Hello Hana. Watching Itachi for Hayato while he's with Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asks. She receives a nod in response and she introduces the woman beside her. "This is Mizumo Sorami. She is new to the village and is a medic nin."

Sorami gives a small bow then says "Hokage-sama wanted me to bring her some files. I met Shizune on the way here."

"Nice to meet you, Sorami. I'm Inuzuka Hana and these are the Haimaru Triplets: Daichi, Hiro, and Takeo." Hana glances at Itachi who hasn't said anything yet and elbows him in the ribs. The action has little affect and Hana hears a giggle.

"Your boyfriend is funny," Sorami says.

The sound of choking fills the hall as Hana chokes on her own spit. Itachi looks shocked at the sudden statement.

"What? Itachi is not my boyfriend," Hana says when she finally stops choking. She nervously glances at Itachi to see a faint blush on his cheeks.

Sorami appears embarrassed and quickly apologizes. "I'm so sorry. That was rude. I shouldn't have assumed that."

There is yelling inside the room and a thud on the door. Hayato bursts out and hits Sorami making her drop her papers. He helps her gather them as her dodges objects fly out of the room and hit the wall behind him.

"GO GET SHIZUNE NOW!"

Hayato stands and bows then quickly closes the door before anything else can be thrown at him. He frantically looks around and spots Shizune. He immediately starts apologizing like crazy.

"I'm so sorry, Shizune. It was an accident. I swear I didn't mean to! I said it under my breath and she heard me."

He pauses to take a breath and Shizune uses that time to ask what he did.

"Well, I went in and she was asleep so she was already pissed about that. She started swearing when I said 'good afternoon.' Then she was really short with me because she's out of sake. She said you went to go get her some more and I may have mentioned you might take a while because you were probably with Genma. She freaked out and now she wants to see you."

Shizune lets out a heavy sigh. "I knew she would find out eventually. Hopefully, the sake will help. I'm sure she'll be okay with it. Probably just upset that she didn't know and found out from you instead of me."

She takes the papers from Sorami before nervously opening the door and entering.

"Where the hell have you been, Shizune?!? And why didn't you tell me about you and Genma?" they manage to hear before the door closes again.

Hayato puts his head in his hands. "Man, Genma's gonna kill me," he mutters.

Itachi speaks for the first time at this statement. "He's not going to kill you. It's not like you wiped out his entire clan."

"Would you knock it off with being sorry for yourself? So what if you did some bad things in the past. Now you're good and that's all that matters," Hayato says angrily.

Hana clears her throat and gets the guys' attentions. She nods towards Sorami who Hayato seems to actually notice for the first time.

"Who are you?" he asks

"I'm Mizuno Sorami," she says shyly. Hayato holds out his hand.

"Nice to meet you and sorry about running into you earlier," Hayato says as Sorami shakes his hand.

"This idiot is Tsuki Hayato," Itachi says. His statement receives a glare.

"Anyway, we're done here so we'll see you later," Hayato says before he and Itachi leave.

Hana and her dogs stay with Sorami who watches Hayato leave. Daichi barks and snaps Sorami out of her thoughts. She looks at Hana who is smiling knowingly at her.

"Any particular reason you're looking at Hayato like that?" Hana teases. When the young woman blushes, Hana's smile widens.

She stands and says "Since you're new, I'll show you around. I'll even tell you about Hayato since you look so cute together."

"You don't need to do that," Sorami says.

Hana shrugs. "You're right. I don't have to but I want to. Besides we're comrades and friends now. Helping one another comes with that."

Sorami nods and follows Hana and her dogs out onto the streets.


	4. Blessings in Disguise

**Blessings in Disguise**

Itachi and Hayato are in their apartment one afternoon. Itachi is brushing up on the clans of the village and soon becomes bored. He already knows most of the information anyway. He looks at Hayato who is sitting beside him. Hayato is bent over a scroll and reading it intently.

"You're actually studying something at your own free will," Itachi observes.

Hayato doesn't look up which surprises Itachi. "Yeah. I found this about two months ago. It belonged to my father. It's about my summoning jutsu. I've been struggling with it and want to be able to master soon."

"Studying was never really your thing. You are more of a visual learner," Itachi comments.

Hayato sighs. "I know. That's why this is so hard for me. There's no one around to teach me. My dad was the last known person in Konoha able to summon the falcons, but it's not like I can learn from him. Right now, I'm just worried that when I do master this jutsu, the head of the falcons won't accept me. I've heard that's happened before."

Itachi watches as Hayato rolls up his scroll and places it on the table. Hayato then stretches and lets out a yawn.

"Now what?" Itachi asks.

Hayato shrugs as he says "I don't know. Normally, we just hang out with Hana but we haven't seen her for a few days. I even asked the Hokage if she was in the hospital or on a mission. She had heard from Shizune that Hana has been hanging around with some new medic nin. Don't remember their name, though."

There is a moment of silence before there is a knock on the door. Hayato grumbles as he gets up to open the door. When he does, Genma is waiting in the hall. Hayato expects Genma to beat him up for what he said to Tsunade and nervously awaits his punishment.

"Hokage-sama wants to see you," Genma says dully.

Hayato blinks and pokes his head out the door. He looks around to see if Genma has set a trap or is trying to trick him. When he finds nothing, he faces Genma again.

"Hokage-sama wants to see me?" His question receives a nod. "This isn't a trick because you're mad at me?" Genma rolls his eyes.

"No, I'm not mad. Just get your ass to the Hokage. It's important," Genma says before he turns and leaves.

Hayato glances over his shoulder at Itachi who stands and follows him out the door.

* * *

Hayato is currently inside Tsunade's office while Itachi is waiting outside with Shizune. Tsunade is watching the young man before her as she rethinks her choice. She sees no way around her dilemma so she decides not to let Hayato wait any longer.

"As you are already aware, the village is at this time short on shinobi who can take high ranked missions," Tsunade begins. "I need you to go on an A-ranked mission."

Hayato nods. "I understand but I have to watch Itachi. He's still serving his probation unless you're letting him off. I doubt it, though. It's only been about two weeks."

"This mission is important and no one else is available with the proper skills. Someone else will take your place until you return," the Hokage replies.

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

Tsunade closes her eyes to think before she shakes her head. "No, but for Itachi probably at least a jonin." She opens her eyes and looks at Hayato.

Hayato hesitates under her gaze. "If I may Hokage-sama, I have a suggestion. They are a chunin but they demand respect and have what it takes."

Tsunade raises an eyebrow. "Who would that be?"

* * *

Hayato has gone to the person's home hoping they will be there like Tsunade said. He knocks on the door and fortunately it opens.

"Hokage-sama needs you," he rushes before leading the way to the tower. The ninja, as well as their companions, follows him without question even though thoughts are shooting through their head.

They jump through the window and stand before Tsunade's desk. Shizune and Itachi have entered since Hayato left. Hayato's attention immediately goes to the Hokage while the other ninja takes in her surrounds. Hana's eyes meet Itachi's and he shrugs. _So he doesn't know what's going on either,_ she thinks.

The Hokage clears her throat and everyone turns to listen. "I have decided to send Hayato out on a mission even though he is responsible for watching you, Itachi. It should last a week max."

"Why am I here? Am I going on the mission as well?" Hana asks looking at her dogs. An Inuzuka is frequently used for missions that involve tracking.

Tsunade shakes her head. "During that time, Itachi will be in your care. I was weary at first but Hayato was able to convince me."

Hayato finally speaks ending his silence. "I have complete faith in you, Hana. You may not be a high ranked ninja, but you have what it takes to keep Itachi in line. It is not something that requires skill. It requires knowledge and understanding and you have that beyond anyone else which makes you the perfect ninja for the job."

"Now that that's settled, Hayato go prepare for your mission. Itachi, you are going to be staying with Hana, so go gather what you need. Hana go with them. You're dismissed," the Hokage orders.

The three quickly do as they are told. They go to Itachi and Hayato's apartment and get their supplies. Hayato says a quick good-bye although his good-bye to Hana's dogs is a bit longer than necessary.

Before long, Hayato is no longer with Itachi and Hana. Instead, he is running through the forest towards Rain Country. As he leaps from tree to tree he thinks to himself. _Hopefully even though I am not there to push Itachi and Hana in the right direction, I was able to do enough by making them stay together for a while. Them not beating me for whatever happens while I'm gone would be nice too.

* * *

_

Hana opens the door to her house and enters with Itachi close behind. The Haimaru Triplets immediately lie down and relax. Itachi puts his things down and looks around.

"I would have thought you would live with your mom and brother," he comments.

"I wanted to be on my own for a bit. Thought it'd be good for me," Hana states. Hana rubs the back of her head in thought. "There's only one bedroom so you'll have to sleep on the couch. I never thought having a second bedroom would be necessary."

"It's only for about a week. I'll be fine," Itachi says before moving his things beside the couch. He takes a seat as Hana pets Daichi. As he watches her, he begins to wonder why she hasn't been hanging out with him and Hayato lately. He remains silent but his curiosity gets the better of him.

"What have you been up to lately?"

The woman looks up, surprised the usually emotionless Uchiha before her actually cares about what she's been doing. She lies on the couch with her feet in Itachi's lap. Itachi peers at her from the corner of his eye. Hana doesn't notice the brief confusion on his face.

"I've been showing Sorami around the village. She's that new medic nin we met when Hayato was delivering his report," Hana finally answers.

At the name Sorami, Itachi remembers that she thought he was Hana's boyfriend. The idea of having that kind of relationship with Hana causes him to shift awkwardly.

Unfortunately, Hana notices the fidgeting and thinks it's for another reason. _Is Itachi's behavior a sign that he likes Sorami? That would mean he doesn't like m…I mean that would ruin my plan for getting Sorami and Hayato together. Why would I care if Itachi likes her?_ Still, Hana can't get rid of the sudden unexplained ache in her stomach.

Hana unconsciously moves her feet making Itachi jerk unnoticeably from the movement. He watches her as she stares at the ceiling. Her eyelids begin to droop and soon completely close. _She must have been up late last night if she's this tired,_ Itachi thinks as her breathing slows.

As Itachi watches Hana, he takes in her features. She looks peaceful. Itachi never really thought it was possible for her to look this way. Hana was always so fierce when she was younger. Even now, she is a strong and vicious kunoichi who Itachi has rarely seen completely relaxed.

Itachi isn't sure how long he has been watching Hana, but he can see that her eyes have begun to move rapidly. He concludes that she is dreaming. He realizes that he hasn't eaten yet and could really go for some food. Itachi decides not to wake Hana and carefully moves her feet so he can stand. He spots a room and heads toward it hoping it is the kitchen. However, before he gets far, Itachi hears Hana murmur in her sleep.

"Hayato…," she whispers.

Itachi feels a pang in his chest and his hands ball into fists. He is angry yet he isn't completely sure why. He's supposed to be a genius, but he can't figure out why Hana saying Hayato in her sleep upsets him.

Itachi walks passed the Haimaru Triplets and goes into the kitchen. Daichi senses Itachi's distress and walks over to Hana. He licks her face to wake her up. Hana responds by giving Daichi a light push and turning away. Daichi tries gently nipping her shoulder and Hana finally gets up. Hana sits up and blinks as she stares at the wall.

"Even in my sleep, I'm trying to set Sorami and Hayato up," Hana mutters.

She hears Hiro give a whine and she looks at him. He whines again. Hana quickly turns her head to where Itachi had been sitting to find it empty.

"Damn it. We've been home for how long and I've already lost him," Hana groans. Hiro lifts his paw and covers his face. Hana notices and mumbles a "shut up."

Daichi gently grabs Hana's hand and leads her to the kitchen. As she gets to the doorway, Itachi's scent reaches her nose. Hana finds Itachi looking in the refrigerator.

"What are you doing Itachi?" she asks as she rubs the sleep from her eyes.

Itachi looks back at Hana before saying "I was hungry."

"I can make you something," Hana offers. Itachi shakes his head.

"I'll make dinner while you get some more sleep. I'll wake you when it's ready," he replies masking his frustration. There's no way he is going to let Hana see that he's upset.

Hana nods and gives the Haimaru Triplets their dinner before goes back to the couch. It seems that the second she closes her eyes, Itachi wakes her up. She isn't sure how long she slept, but it wasn't nearly long enough. They sit at Hana's table and begin eating.

"This is good. I didn't know you could cook, Itachi," Hana says after her first bite.

Itachi responds with "I was the one to cook on missions. Kisame's cooking would have killed us."

Hana gives a smile showing off her sharp canines. "Well, you'll be making the meals while you're here," she says. The remains of the food on her plate she gives to her dogs then Hana and Itachi wash the dishes.

Afterward, Hana gets some blankets for Itachi and puts them on the couch. She then gives him a quick tour of the house so he knows where everything is. They stop in front of Hana's room. She opens the door and the dogs run in from the living room. Itachi swears he saw them holding something in their jaws. Before he can get a better look, Hana talks to him.

"That's everything. I'm pretty tired so I'm going to go to sleep. It isn't too late so, you can stay up if you want. Just remember that even though Hayato isn't here, we'll still be training tomorrow morning after we walk the dogs."

Itachi nods and returns to the living room while Hana goes in her room. He retrieves a small book and sits on the couch. This book is about Hayato's family. Itachi doesn't learn much because the book is outdated. He could always ask Hayato himself, but Itachi doubts that Hayato would just spill everything to him. Besides, finding out for himself would give Itachi something to do.

Itachi puts the book away and looks in his bag for clothes to sleep in. When he doesn't find any sleep shirts, he grows suspicious. He definitely remembers packing anything he might possible need. His brain clicks and he realizes what Hana's dogs were holding. They ran from the living room where his belongings were with black clothes in their mouths.

Itachi inwardly curses. _That's why Hayato was saying 'good bye' to the dogs. He was telling them to mess with us. It's not like it matters though. Hana would rather be with Hayato anyway._ Seeing as there isn't really another option, Itachi goes to sleep in only a pair of loose pants, ignoring the rule about going to sleep angry.


	5. Denial

**Denial**

Hana awakens to the sun in her eyes. Not willing to leave her soft bed, she pulls the blanket over her head. Not long after she does this, a beeping is heard and she groans. Hana grudgingly gets up and turns off her alarm. She looks out the window and notices it is still early since the sun is just starting to peek over the trees.

Once she showers and is dressed, Hana walks to the kitchen followed closely by the Haimaru Triplets. She catches a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye and stops. She looks at the person lying on her couch fast asleep. She isn't sure if she should be surprised that he isn't awake yet or by what he's wearing. Or rather what he isn't wearing.

Itachi doesn't have a shirt on and his blanket goes up to only his waist revealing his lean body. Hana briefly wonders if he is wearing pants. He is turned away from her and Hana can easily see the muscles of Itachi's back. She also can distinguish the ANBU tattoo, which he received after he was accepted, on his left shoulder. A part of her longs to trace the cords of muscle on his arm but she refrains.

Just when she begins to wonder what his abs look like, she realizes what she is doing. Hana can't believe she was just studying Itachi and blushes. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts before walking into the kitchen for breakfast. Hana first serves her dogs that have been impatiently waiting while she was daydreaming.

Since Itachi is still asleep, Hana is forced to make breakfast herself. Feeling it would be awkward if Itachi knew she saw him shirtless, she sends Hiro to wake him so he has time to shower before going to train.

While Hana is searching her refrigerator for food, Itachi suddenly awakens when something licks his cheek. He looks around before spotting Hiro beside him. The dog almost appears to be smiling. Itachi can only think about how fortunate the dog is that Itachi didn't sleep with a kunai under his pillow.

Itachi glares at Hiro who responds by cocking his head. Itachi stands and grabs some clean clothes from his bag before heading for the shower.

After he is clean, Itachi makes his way to the kitchen. As he passes Hana's room, he notices it is empty. He glances inside and listens carefully. He hears noises from the kitchen meaning Hana is cooking.

Deciding it is safe to look for his clothes, Itachi ventures into Hana's room. He observes that the closet is ajar and peeks inside. There is some ninja gear and supplies, but not what Itachi is looking for. He turns around and becomes aware of something black underneath Hana's dresser. Itachi walks over, but doesn't investigate the object. Something else has gained his attention.

Itachi looks at a picture on Hana's dresser. She looks about 18 and has her arm wrapped around a boy who looks about 13. He has a small, white puppy in his jacket. They are laughing and showing off their sharp canines. Hana is ruffling the boy's hair playfully. Both have the red tattoos the Inuzuka clan is known for. Itachi remembers Hana having a brother, Kiba, and recognizes him as the boy in the picture. Itachi assumes the photo was taken a few years ago from how young they both look.

Itachi's gaze shifts to another picture. This one is even older than the last. Hana appears to be about 8. She is surrounded by three mischievous puppies. This picture must have been taken when she received the Haimaru Triplets.

The next photo is much more recent. It could have been taken a few days ago. Kiba is in this picture as well, but hasn't changed much in appearance over the years. If he is at all like Hana, his personality probably hasn't changed either. This picture shows the loyalty and ferocity of the Inuzuka clan. Hana appears to have been twirling a kunai around her finger when the picture was taken. Kiba looks like he is ready to transform with his dog, Akamaru. Itachi can't help but wonder why this picture was taken.

Itachi hears footsteps walking down the hall. They stop and he hears Hana ask "What are you doing?"

He calmly reaches down and picks up the shirts from under the dresser. He opens one to find that it is torn in several places. It looks like he will need to buy some more clothes. Itachi turns around and holds his shirt up to Hana.

"Your dogs took my shirts last night," he states.

Hana has a look of realization. "So that's why you were shirtless this morning."

Itachi raises an eyebrow and Hana looks away to hide her embarrassment. He turns back to the dresser and takes notice of the last picture. This one is recent as well. Hana and another girl are in this picture. Itachi sees the girl and remembers seeing her outside the Hokage's office.

"Sorami," he says.

He senses Hana walk up next to him. "Yeah, I've been hanging out with her lately. We've become pretty close over the last few days."

Hana doesn't get a response from Itachi and looks at him to see him staring intently at the picture. He appears to be studying it pretty hard, but she can't tell why. Not much is going on in it. They are basically just standing side by side.

As Itachi looks at the picture, he takes in the different details of Hana's face. He can see how lively and loud she is even when her face is serene.

When he manages to tear his gaze from the photo, he walks to the kitchen. Hana follows close behind. They eat in silence then take the dogs for a walk before they head to the training grounds.

* * *

Itachi is currently sitting in a restaurant bored out of his mind. Reading his books would be so much better than listening to this. Not to mention more productive. Yesterday, he and Hana met up with Sorami. Hana warmly greeted her friend and began talking about Hayato. What about Itachi? Hana barely acknowledged his presence.

Now, he's stuck sitting with Hana and Sorami again. He is having a hard time conversing with the Haimaru Triplets while Hana talks about how great Hayato is. It's actually sickening for Itachi to hear, but Hana continuously drags him into the conversation. Like she's trying to do right now.

"Itachi, do you know what Hayato's favorite color is?"

Why the hell does she need to know that? Itachi doesn't know how to respond because he couldn't care less what Hayato's favorite color is. He has a weird feeling in his stomach, but refuses to believe it is jealousy. Itachi decides to make something up in an attempt to humiliate his best friend.

"I guess pink since it's the color of his room," he says dully.

Sorami giggles while Hana glares at him. He shrugs and turns to look out the window.

"Can't you be of some help, Itachi?" Hana asks.

"Hn."

"That's not a word!"

Itachi glances at her and smirks. He knows it will anger her and he is desperate to change the subject from Hayato. He swiftly catches a punch Hana throws at him.

"Now, now Hana. Don't you think you're over reacting?" Itachi scolds.

Hana rolls her eyes and tries to pull her hand away. When she can't, Itachi gives her another smirk. He lowers his hand under the table still restraining hers to make sure she doesn't attempt to hit him again.

Their hands remained together for the remainder of the conversation. Any outsider would have assumed they were together from the sight. However, they both know it was just a precaution. Even though, Itachi's grip had loosened significantly and Hana could have easily removed her hand if she wanted. Still, it was only to make sure Hana didn't hit Itachi. That's the only reason they were doing this. At least, that's what they kept telling themselves.

* * *

It has been three days since Hayato left for Rain Country and he has returned ahead of schedule. It is late and the sky is dark. Instead of immediately going to the Hokage's office to hand in the mission report as directed, he decides to deal with it tomorrow morning. He is too tired and stressed to do it now. Hayato also settles on leaving Itachi with Hana for the night because he feels it is too late to bother them.

Hayato walks through the nearly empty streets taking in the night. It doesn't have the same calming effect it normally does. He is a mess and exhausted, but refuses to go home yet. He has to clear his head or he'll never get to sleep.

He sees no other option, but to go to Taro's bar. He reluctantly enters and Taro is surprised to see him.

"Tsuki-san? I don't mean to be rude, but you look terrible."

"Please call me Hayato, Taro. Anyway, I'll have…you know what, just look at me and make whatever you think will work."

Taro chuckles at Hayato's statement. He also notices the dark bags under his customer's eyes. "That bad, Ts—I mean, Hayato. Do you mind telling me what happened?"

"An A-ranked mission," Hayato mumbles.

Taro fixes him a glass and hands it to him. Hayato glances up at Taro and attempts a smile. He lets out a sigh knowing it probably looks more like a look of pain.

Taro tries to get more information from Hayato. "I'm afraid I don't understand. A-ranked missions are usually assassinations and you've gone on tons of those without problems. What makes this one different?"

Hayato reaches into his weapons pack and pulls out a senbon. He uses it to move the ice in his drink around. It is a habit he picked up for when he is upset with something.

"I'm fine with killing on missions. I am a shinobi after all. What I have a problem with is killing a child."

Hayato is a true shinobi who doesn't let his emotions interfere with missions. However, he can't keep his feelings bottled inside forever. He was fine with assassinating a gang leader for gaining private information about Konoha like he was ordered to do. But when he found out the leader's daughter was also involved, that is what hurt him.

He completed the mission as instructed and killed the leader. Hayato was also told to kill anyone else knew the acquired information. It turned out that the leader used his daughter as a third party. She got the information and told her father. What Hayato didn't realize was the she was only about 10.

After Hayato killed her, he saw her face. It reminded him of his sister, Aiko. He took an innocent life just like that missing nin took his little sister's. He caused someone the same pain he went through. That will forever haunt him.

Hayato downs his drink and lays his head on the counter. Taro does his best to cheer him up.

"Even though you are a ninja, you're still human. You have feelings and that is understandable. Besides, killing a child is a difficult thing for anyone to do if they have a heart."

Hayato continues to push the ice with his senbon so Taro tries another strategy.

"You know something, Hayato? Not many shinobi are capable of showing their sensitive side."

Hayato's eyes don't leave his glass as he says "So?"

"Being a little sensitive is good when it comes to women. Your personality must attract hordes of girls," Taro comments.

"What's your point?"

Taro rests a hand on Hayato's shoulder. Hayato responds by glancing up at him. "My point is that there is nothing wrong with you. Don't worry about the things you did because it doesn't really matter. You served your village so be proud. It is okay to feel despite what you're taught in the academy. Just know when it is okay to show your emotions."

Hayato lifts his head and gives Taro a smile. This time it is genuine. "Thanks, Taro. You've really helped me out."

Taro nods and gives Hayato another drink before he starts getting ready to close. Hayato puts his senbon away and remains in his seat. He takes a sip from his glass and realizes just how tired he is. He has been going almost none stop since he left. Three days without sleep. Hayato lays his head on the counter again and his eyes drift closed.

Taro finishes cleaning and notices Hayato is still here. When he nears him, he discovers that Hayato is asleep. He shakes his head and leaves him be. Hayato needs his sleep and Taro doesn't have the heart to disturb him. So, Hayato slept in the bar. His flak jacket was still on and a half drunk beverage sat beside his head.

* * *

**I know I didn't write much about Itachi living with Hana, but there was nothing I could really think of writing that would go with my story. Also, Hayato's conversation with Taro is significant. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	6. Clueless Oblivious

**Clueless/Oblivious**

Since Itachi hasn't bought new clothes yet, he wakes up before Hana. He is dressed and sitting on the couch reading when she enters. Itachi glances up and does a double take.

Hana must not realize he is awake because she is pulling on her tank top. She has just come out of the shower and her tone stomach gleams as Itachi stares at it. He shakes his head and looks back down at the words before him.

"Good morning, Itachi. I thought you were still asleep," Hana says.

Itachi looks at her and feels disappointed when he finds out her stomach isn't exposed anymore. He doesn't understand why he has these feelings. When he was younger, he had tons of fan girls and he never felt this way around them. He was just annoyed by their presence. With Hana, however, Itachi craves more.

_Damn hormones,_ Itachi thinks. Why does he suddenly have a problem with them now?

Hana starts walking to the kitchen and Itachi calls out "All there is to eat is ramen."

Hana stops and goes back to her room. She is pulling on her vest when she returns.

"We'll walk the dogs and stop somewhere for breakfast today. I don't feel like eating ramen," she says.

Itachi puts his scroll down and meets her at the door. Hana whistles and the Haimaru Triplets walk up to their companion.

While Hana and Itachi are walking the dogs, they receive many stares which they ignore. They continue passed the academy and see Sorami on her way to the hospital. Itachi inwardly groans. They will probably talk about Hayato again.

Hana greets Sorami and asks how she likes her job so far. Itachi is surprised that they continue to make small talk. He is relieved that he doesn't need to listen to how great Hayato is.

They continue to walk for a while until Sorami points at a building. She then asks "Isn't that Hayato?"

Itachi and Hana look where Sorami is pointing and sure enough Hayato is in Taro's bar. Hana sweat drops and mutters "You'd think he would have some limits. It's 7:00 for goodness sake and he's already drinking."

The three walk up to Hayato. He's wearing his uniform and he has a drink beside his head which is lying on the counter. He is obviously asleep because he is drooling. Sorami gently shakes his shoulder, but he is unresponsive.

"He is either an extremely heavy sleeper or he had way too much to drink," Hana says as she shakes her head.

Taro enters and comments since he had overheard them talking. "He actually only had one drink."

Hana rounds on Taro while Sorami continues to try to wake Hayato up. "You just let him sleep here!"

Knowing their attempts are futile, Itachi lifts Hayato up and then props him against a tree. He begins making hand signs. He might as well let out some of his frustration towards Hayato.

Unfortunately for Itachi, Hana realize what he's doing just as he is taking a deep breath. She immediately stops him. Itachi releases his breath and a small flame comes out. It would have been so much bigger if Hana didn't stop him.

As Hana scolds Itachi, he picks up Hayato again and looks around for another solution. He spots Kakashi and develops and idea. It may not be as good as his original plan, but it will do.

"Kakashi," Itachi calls.

Said man walks over and observes the scene. Itachi is sure he is smiling from the way the corner of his eye crinkles.

"Do you mind doing us a favor?" Itachi asks. Kakashi nods and goes behind Hayato.

"Sennen Goroshi." **(Aka One Thousand Years of Death.)**

Hayato shoots awake and yells. He frantically looks around for danger as he rubs his rear.

"Thanks, Kakashi," Itachi says.

"No problem," Kakashi responds before walking away.

Hana and Sorami stare at Hayato as he comes to realize what happened. Itachi has moved behind them to avoid getting hit by Hayato's movements. When Hayato stops, he blinks and looks at his friends. His eyes travel over the three and land on Sorami. He's smiling as he walks over.

"Hey."

Before anyone can react, Hayato passes Sorami and goes to Itachi. It turns out Hayato was talking to him and didn't really notice her.

He claps Itachi's back and says "Bastard." He grins as he asks "Did you enjoy your time with Hana?"

Itachi can't help but roll his eyes. Hana elbows Sorami in the ribs encouraging her to say something.

She sighs before saying "Welcome back, Hayato."

The man appears confused as he looks at the medic. "Who are you?" he asks.

Itachi sees Hana smack herself in the forehead at Hayato's stupidity. It brings him some joy seeing Hana frustrated with "perfect" Hayato.

"I'm Mizuno Sorami. I'm the new medic nin and I was also with Hana and Itachi when you were reporting to Hokage-sama."

Hayato blushes at her statement. He rubs the back of his head in embarrassment and chuckles. "Oh…right, I remember now. Not a very good first impression. Or second impression, huh?"

Hana snorts and Hayato's attention is drawn to her. Before he can comment, someone yells at Hayato. He freezes and reluctantly turns around. He sheepishly waves at Shizune who is walking towards him and away from Genma.

"You were supposed to report to Tsunade-sama as soon as you returned. By the look of things, you've been here for a while," Shizune scolds as she pushes him towards the Hokage's Tower.

Hayato looks over his shoulder at the kunoichi and mutters "I'm going. I'm going."

As he looks back at his friends, Hayato notices Genma fiddling with something in his pocket. He's chewing on his senbon more than usual indicating he's nervous. Hayato's eyes widen and he starts fighting against Shizune.

"Hayato, you need to see Tsunade-sama right away," Shizune says.

"Yes, I know and I will, but you don't need to come with me. Stay here with Genma," Hayato begs.

Shizune shakes her head. "No. If I don't make sure to get your work done, you'll get sidetracked again."

With that said, the Hokage's apprentice drags Hayato to the Hokage's office while he apologizes to Genma for ruining his plans. When the two are out of sight, Hayato turns to Shizune.

"This is completely unnecessary. You're ruining your date with Genma for something as stupid as bringing me to Hokage-sama," Hayato says in a low voice.

"That wasn't a date. He was just walking with me," she responds.

_Well apparently, he had more than walking planned, _Hayato thinks to himself.

When they arrive outside the door, Hayato stops Shizune before she knocks.

"Promise me something. Promise that the next day off Hokage-sama gives you you'll spend it with Genma. I have a feeling he needs to tell you something important."

Shizune nods and Hayato adds "Just don't pry the information out of him. I doubt he'd be happy that I'm doing this. At least at first."

After that, the door opens and the meeting begins. The report is given and Hayato is free to go home. Before he does though, he asks Tsunade something.

"Hokage-sama, would it be alright if Hana became Itachi's secondary supervisor? That way if I am needed for another mission or have to do something and can't watch him, someone will be able to do it instead."

Tsunade smiles and says "Good idea, Hayato. She has done an excellent job so I don't see a problem with that."

Hayato bows and thanks the Hokage. Before he leaves, he gives Shizune a look. As he closes the door behind him, he hears Shizune ask Tsunade about her next day off. He smiles to himself and heads for the training grounds. He wouldn't mind sleeping more, but it is good to be prepared to take on any situation that may arise.

When he arrives, Hana and Itachi are there with the dogs as he predicted. Instead of joining them, he settles himself in a tree. He watches their movements intently to see if their behavior has changed at all during his absence. It may be an indication of progression in their "relationship."

The two stop sparring around lunch time and leave to get food. Hayato takes this time to do some training of his own.

When he senses their chakra approaching, Hayato returns to the tree. He is sure that they are aware of his presence but he would rather keep his distance for now. From what Hayato gathered from Itachi's movements, he seems either stressed or angry.

Hayato notices another chakra with them. He looks down to see Sorami. She's either taking her lunch break or Hokage-sama isn't giving her much work since she is just starting out. Hayato studies her fighting style.

_She's over thinking her attacks,_ Hayato observes. He dodges a kunai that whizzes past his head.

_Why are the sharp objects always thrown at me?_

The weapon is lodged in the tree and he pulls it out. _Sorami used too much effort when throwing that. A ninja should be able to flick their wrist and have perfect accuracy and power._

He twirls the kunai around his finger and continues to watch her. He wants to help Sorami with her technique, but doesn't feel comfortable doing it. He ponders what to do for a moment then opens a scroll pouch. He scribbles some lines before summoning Hansuke. He tells the falcon to bring the scroll and kunai to Sorami and the bird grudgingly complies.

Sorami is dodging a snap from Takeo when the falcon interrupts. He drops the objects in her hands and flies away. She opens it and reads Hayato's advice.

"What's that?" Hana asks.

Sorami looks up from the scroll and hands it to Hana who reads it and yells "Hayato, come here if you have something to say. Don't have your birds do everything for you."

Hayato appears beside Sorami with his hands in his pockets and says "Fine."

Itachi's grip on his kunai tightens involuntarily and he takes a step forward. Hana sees his actions and thinks he is angry at Hayato for wanting to help Sorami. A look of hurt briefly appears on Hana's face.

Meanwhile, Hayato notices both their actions and makes a mental note of them. _I see Itachi's finally experiencing hormones. _He will make sure to talk with them later. Right now, he has other things to deal with.

"Hokage-sama has made you Itachi's secondary supervisor, Hana. Therefore, the two of you are to gather Itachi's things and move them back to our apartment," Hayato says.

He turns to begin Sorami's lessons but then adds "Obviously, there are some things that need to be worked out as well. Get them taken care of or I will handle them myself."

Itachi glares at the back of Hayato's head. "Is that a threat?"

Hayato faces Itachi and looks him in the eyes. His anger has caused him to activate his sharingan. Hana tries to calm Itachi down but he turns his glare to her and she backs off. Hayato can see the pain Hana is trying to hide. When Itachi looks back at Hayato, he is the one receiving the glare.

"I was not threatening you, Itachi. I was merely saying there is some tension between you two and I don't want it to ruin your friendship. If you have a bond with someone, it shouldn't be broken by some disagreements or other meaningless garbage," Hayato finally responds.

Itachi's eyes go black again. Itachi, Hana, and the dogs leave the training grounds to follow Hayato's orders. When they are gone, Hayato lets out a sigh and turns to Sorami.

"Sorry you had to see that. I'm not sure what's up with them," Hayato apologizes.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine."

"Since that's settled, let's get started," Hayato says as he pulls out a kunai. He instructs Sorami to do the same. He gives her a tip on holding the weapon and then tells her to throw it. She whips it at a target and hits the center.

Hayato nods in approval. "Good, but try to flick your wrist instead. You don't need to use so much force."

Sorami throws another kunai, but it misses the log. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. There's nothing to be sorry about. It takes some time to get used to the motion after you change it. Here let me show you."

Hayato demonstrates and gestures to the medic to copy him. He stops her before she throws though and adjusts her hand slightly. He then leads her wrist through the motion before looking up at Sorami. When he sees that her face is a little red, he becomes confused.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah," she responds.

"Alright then, try throwing the kunai now," Hayato directs.

She follows his instructions and does it perfectly. She turns to her teacher to find him smiling at her.

"Good work. Keep practicing and then you can move on. Right now I have to go deal with something else," Hayato says. He starts walking away and raises his hand in goodbye. "I'll see you around."


	7. Damn Hormones

**Damn Hormones**

Hayato goes to his apartment and finds Hana sitting on the couch with the dogs at her feet. Itachi is in a chair as silent as ever. _So much for resolving their problems themselves,_ he thinks. He takes a seat beside Hana since it is the only space available. He watches Itachi as he does this. He notices Itachi's eyes shift to Hana before Itachi glares at him.

"What was that, Itachi?" Hayato asks.

Hayato can see that Itachi is hiding his confusion. "What was what?"

_He doesn't even realize he's jealous._

Hayato shakes his head then says "Never mind."

Sensing that Hana's upset, he tells her to go home and relax. She leaves silently and Hayato continues to watch Itachi. He waits until Hana's chakra is far enough away before speaking.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Itachi opens his mouth to comment but Hayato cuts him off.

"I'm talking right now and you're listening. I don't care if you're an Uchiha; you have no right to hurt Hana like you are doing now. Can't you see how much pain you're causing her? Just open you eyes and mind to your feelings already!"

"…"

"Answer me, damn it!" Hayato yells.

"I'm not hurting her. She's the one hurting me," Itachi replies.

Hayato sighs. "Then you're both idiots. I saw you earlier. You became jealous and Hana interpreted your actions as you liking Sorami. Please just use your head to think things through. You're a genius so you should be able to figure everything out. I mean I could and I suck with relationships. Therefore you should be able to understand easily."

Hayato takes a deep breath and leans back. "Also, it's so much easier when you aren't denying your feelings."

Itachi remains silent as usual after Hayato's speech. Hayato tries again to convince him. "Itachi, you're my best friend and I would never do anything to betray you. I'm just looking out for you. I'm trying to make both you and Hana happy."

Itachi stands and Hayato looks up at him. He walks away towards his room. Hayato closes his eyes and puts his head in his hands. _Shit. This isn't working._ He hears Itachi return and looks at him. He is holding shirts that are nearly torn to pieces.

"Hana's dogs thought they'd steal my clothes. We need to go buy some more."

Hayato smiles and stands up. He places a hand on Itachi's shoulder and says "Sure, bastard."

The duo leaves and goes to the store to buy clothes. Afterwards, they walk stop at the bar and Itachi asks how Hayato's mission went. They talk, but get bored quickly. Taro takes notice and gives them a suggestion.

"If you're that desperate for something to do, the two of you can work here. I'll even pay you."

Hayato smiles at this. "That sounds great. We'd probably be here often anyway. Might as well do something useful and get paid while we're here."

Taro nods and says "How about you start tomorrow? I've wanted to try something knew and could use the extra hands in getting started."

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow we start working in your bar."

"What are you planning?" Itachi asks.

"Another bar has been getting more customers since it started having karaoke nights. Thought I'd see if I could increase business," Taro answers.

Hayato begins grinning and looks at Itachi. The Uchiha doesn't even look at him when he says "Try it and you're a dead man."

The grin is immediately wiped off Hayato's face and Taro chuckles at their behavior.

"Don't worry, Itachi-san. Hayato will be the one doing the singing."

Hayato, who was taking a sip of his drink, begins to choke. A small smile makes its way onto Itachi's face. Once Hayato has recovered, he yells "WHAT?!?"

"You don't really have a choice since you're now my employee," Taro says as he smirks at the man before him.

Hayato grumbles a "fine" and stands. He fishes some cash from his pocket and pays for the drinks.

"We've got to bring Itachi's clothes home so we'll see you later, Taro."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.," Taro calls as the two leave.

* * *

"This is unbelievable," Hayato grumbles. He has been complaining since they left Taro's bar. That was at about 3 and its 6 now.

He and Itachi are currently walking to Genma's for a reason Itachi isn't quite sure about. They arrive and Hayato knocks on the door. A couple seconds pass and a click is heard. Hayato opens the door and picks up a shuriken off the floor.

"Lazy ass," Hayato mutters. A little louder he says "Even if you open the door with shuriken, you could at least stand up and welcome us."

He turns to Genma who is sitting at a desk. He appears to be doing paperwork. Hayato walks over and moves to open one of the drawers. Genma quickly holds it closed and receives a smirk.

"Watcha hiding?"

Itachi and Genma roll their eyes at his childishness.

"None of your business. Now, what are you here for?" Genma replies coolly.

"I'm here about that thing you're hiding, which is my business since it means adding a member to our family. Itachi is here because I couldn't leave him with Hana."

Genma groans as he opens the drawer. He pulls out a box and holds it out to his cousin, who takes it. "I haven't asked Shizune yet. There's no guarantee she'll say 'yes'."

"Are you kidding? Listen, I have no doubt in my mind that she'll agree," Hayato says as he claps Genma on the back.

He opens the box and looks at the object inside. A ring sparkles as the light hits it. He smiles as he closes the box before placing it in Genma's hand. It is placed back in the drawer and the three take seats on the couch.

"So, what's been going on with you lately?" Genma asks.

"Nothing much," Hayato responds. "Actually, Itachi and I are going to start working at Taro's starting tomorrow," Hayato grumbles after some thought.

"I would've thought you'd be happy about that."

"Taro's going to have a karaoke night and he has to sing," Itachi says with a smirk.

Genma begins smirking as well. "Really. Maybe I'll stop by."

"Maybe you should. I overheard Hokage-sama say that Shizune has the day off tomorrow. If you bring her, I'll dedicate a song to you guys. It'd be perfect if you proposed to her afterwards as well."

"I'm not sure about doing it in front of so many people, but I'll consider it. Besides, I always could ask later in private."

They continue talking until it is time for Itachi and Hayato to leave. It is dark as the two walk home. When they arrive, Itachi goes to his room while Hayato studies his jutsu.

As Itachi tries to fall asleep, he stares at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. A lot happened today. His emotions went on a roller coaster that he personally didn't enjoy. Itachi turns on his side and closes his eyes. As he slowly falls asleep, his thoughts drift to Hana. This leads him to dream of her.

Dream

Itachi and Hayato are working at the bar when Hana suddenly appears. She begins talking to Itachi and at some point Hayato disappears. Hana orders a drink and Itachi makes it. He watches her drink it and she smiles at him when she finishes.

Hana then suggests that they go swimming and he agrees. The two reach the river and Hana jumps in. She comes out to try to drag him in with her, but Itachi doesn't budge. Instead, he stares at her wet form.

Itachi feels a knot develop in his stomach and realizes its desire. Hana stops pulling him and asks if he's alright. He doesn't reply. When Hana waves her hand in front of his face, he catches her wrist.

"What's wrong, Itachi?"

He continues to stare at her and the desire builds. Hana backs away slightly only to have Itachi move closer. She backs into a tree and Itachi's body is pressed up against hers.

"Itachi?" she whispers.

His hand comes up to touch her cheek. Her eyes widen from his gesture and she starts to blush when he leans forward.

His lips brush against her soft ones as her lightly kisses her. He pulls away and looks into Hana's eyes. Itachi can feel her pull him in to kiss her again. This time it's more forceful as Itachi gives in to his desire for Hana.

He pushes his tongue into her mouth and explores every inch. However, Hana likes to be dominant as well and pushes back with her own tongue. Itachi allows her to enter his mouth for a while. He sucks her tongue before breaking away for air. Their foreheads are touching as they pant.

Itachi moves his head so his mouth is by Hana's ear. His hot breath makes her squirm slightly against his body. Then he shocks her by whispering "marry me."

End Dream

Itachi's eyes snap open and he sits up. His room is still dark so it must be early. Itachi inwardly groans when he notices that his pants feel a little tighter than usual. He shakes his head to rid it of all thoughts. They were all about the dream anyway.

Itachi looks at the clock beside his bed. He lies back down with a sigh when he learns that it is only two in the morning. What in the world made him dream about _that_?

Itachi rubs his head as he tries to think of a logical explanation for the dream. The part about working in the bar with Hayato was because they will be working there tomorrow. Actually, later today. The whole "marry me" thing must have just been from talking with Genma earlier.

Itachi rolls over and puts a pillow over his head. He can't explain why he would kiss Hana. Itachi closes his eyes tightly. He enjoyed kissing her so much. He groans at the thought of trying to act normal around her tomorrow.

_Damn hormones._


	8. Awkward Meetings

**Awkward Meetings**

Hayato is awakened by a beeping near his head. He rolls over and blindly moves his hand around. When his hand finds the clock, he turns off the alarm and halfheartedly gets up.

Once he's "ready" to start the day, Hayato walks towards the kitchen. He stretches and lets out a yawn. He hears noises coming from the living room and go to investigate. When his eyes adjust, Hayato is surprised to see Itachi up and watching TV.

"How long have you been up?"

Itachi glances at the clock and notices it's a little after 5. "About three hours."

"Are you insane?! I hate getting up at 9 and you're up at 2! Why did you get up so early?" Hayato asks.

Itachi ignores his friend's question. The truth is that Itachi couldn't fall back to sleep after his dream. Normally, he'd rather not watch TV, but he was willing to do anything to stop thinking about Hana. Her soft lips against his felt so real. They felt so right. Itachi inwardly groans when he realizes he's thinking about her again. Itachi turns off the TV and joins his friend for breakfast.

"Today, we're going back to the river. We should work on our technique when fighting near or on water," Hayato states.

Itachi freezes and looks up at Hayato to find his friend picking at his plate lazily. Going to the river would only make Itachi's thoughts worse. That's where his dream happened. Is it possible that Hayato's trying to embarrass him or is this just a huge coincidence?

The two depart just as the sun starts peeking over the trees. As they near the river, they sense two familiar chakras.

_Why is she always around? I'm convinced that Hayato's planning this,_ Itachi thinks while restraining himself from shoving a kunai up his friend's ass.

They arrive and Hayato quickly pulls of his shirt before jumping in. In doing so, he splashes Hana and Sorami. Itachi watches with slight amusement as Hana lets out her fury on Hayato. He takes a seat in the grass and watches their childish behavior.

Hana has Hayato in a head lock that doesn't look all too pleasant. When he breaks free, he grabs her from behind so Hana can't fight back. Unfortunately for Hayato, he forgot Hana had Sorami on her side. She comes up behind the distracted young man and pushes his head under water. The action allows Hana to escape and they double team against Hayato.

Itachi's attention quickly moves away from their behavior and to the water. More specifically, the water glistening on Hana's skin.

'_**She sure does look hot,' **_says a voice in Itachi's head.

'_Who the hell are you?'_

'_**I'm your inner,'**_ the voice replies bluntly.

'_Since when do I have an inner?'_

'_**Everyone has an inner, dumb ass.'**_

'_Why haven't I ever heard from you, then?'_ Itachi asks, beginning to get annoyed.

'_**Well, you've always been pretty honest with yourself. Also, I'm more attached to your hormones and you spent years working alongside Kisame. He's a freaking fish. Therefore, you didn't have to deal with your hormones. Thank goodness for that!!'**_

Itachi ignores whatever his inner says after his brief conversation. If he starts listening to a voice in his head, he'll be crazy regardless of whether or not everyone else had an inner. Instead, Itachi's focus lands on Hana again.

"You're drooling."

Itachi snaps out of his daze and wipes his face. Noticing that it's dry, he shoots a glare at the person standing above him. Hayato's smiling down at him.

"Very funny," Itachi sarcastically replies.

Hayato's smile becomes a grin as he says "I thought it was."

Hayato shakes his head like a dog making droplets of water land on his impassive friend. Meanwhile, Hana gives Sorami a nudge when she notices that the girl's eyes keep flicking to look in Hayato's direction. Sorami looks at her friend and receives a knowing look. A faint blush appears on her features as she rubs the back of her head sheepishly. The girls get out of the water for a short break.

"So what did you guys do after I last saw you yesterday?" Hana asks as she pets one of her dogs.

Since Itachi remains silent, Hayato explains that they're going to start working at Taro's and he has to sing tonight. Hana struggles to contain her laugher while Hayato raises an eyebrow at her.

Through her laughs, Hana manages to say "I was at Taro's yesterday and suggested he have a karaoke night. He said he was already planning one. I told him to get you to sing, Hayato. Thought it'd be funny to see."

Hayato's mouth hangs open as Hana tells him this. After regaining his composure, he calmly stands up. He disappears in a flash only to reappear directly behind Hana. He lifts her up and throws her back in the water.

"What the heck, Hayato?!" Hana says once she's resurfaced.

"That was a small part of my revenge. The rest will come in time," Hayato calmly responds before floating in the water on his back.

He's careful not to allow Hana close to him while he relaxes. However, he isn't prepared for something to jump on his stomach. Hana's smiling innocently at him as Takeo swims towards her.

Hayato shrugs before saying "I'll just have to get you back for that one as well."

Sorami and Itachi join them in the water. After a little while, Itachi exits and dries off. Hana follows close behind. She's unaware of a pair of black eyes tracking her movements as she bends over to grab her towel. An ache of desire has formed in Itachi's stomach like in his dream.

When she turns around, Itachi is a little closer than she remembers, but she quickly shakes the thought off. She goes to dry herself, but a hand stops her. She looks up at Itachi, who is now standing directly in front of her.

"What's wrong, Itachi?" Hana quietly asks.

Itachi can feel the desire building as he stands so close to Hana. Hana can smell apprehension emitting from the man before her and becomes confused. Itachi is never nervous about anything.

Itachi briefly closes his eyes to try to clear his head. Hana can just catch the sound of a sigh escape Itachi. Hana searches Itachi's eyes to try to understand, but they're emotionless as usual.

"I'm sorry."

Hana becomes even more confused by his statement. Not only is an Uchiha admitting he's sorry but what could Itachi possibly be sorry about? Hana finds out when Itachi speaks again. Yet another thing she didn't expect from him.

"I'm sorry for acting the way I did yesterday at the training grounds. You were just trying to help and I was out of line," Itachi says.

Hana is speechless and can only respond with a nod. Laughing is heard behind Itachi and Hana notices him tense slightly. They both glance over Itachi's shoulder to see Hayato training with Sorami. Apparently, he made a joke while giving her instructions. Itachi visibly relaxes when he realizes Hayato didn't witness the exchange and Hana wonders why he is acting so strangely.

Itachi leaves Hana and lies back on the grass. He was just able to keep his actions in check. He suppressed the growing desire just in time.

The four spend a majority of the day together. They even got a group photo that included the Haimaru Triplets. It was nice having a day where nobody had to worry about missions or any other ninja stuff. Before long, the group had to go their separate ways since Hayato and Itachi had to get to work. The girls said they'd stop by later despite Hayato's protests.

Taro warmly greets his new employees and instructs them to set up the stage. As the two began working, Taro goes into the back room to find some songs for Hayato to choose from. He returns with a paper and hands it to Hayato who skims the list before putting it in his pocket. He'd select a few songs after the stage was ready.

After the first job was done, Taro hands Itachi and Hayato each a manual telling them how to make different drinks. They are to study, or in Hayato's case brush up on, the various drinks while they clean the counter and glasses.

Hayato finishes before Itachi and pulls the paper out of his pocket. Now is as good a time as any to choose a few songs. He can recognize a few, but none really stand out in his mind. As Hayato nears the bottom of the page, he reads one of the songs and smiles. It's perfect for Genma and Shizune. Maybe it could give Itachi and Hana a hint at the same time. He'd take care of two things at once without even trying.

"What are you smiling about?" Itachi asks.

Hayato glances at his friend and points to the paper. He doesn't tell Itachi the name because he'd rather keep it secret for now.

"Picked a song," he replies.

After a few minutes, the two hear people come into the bar and look up. Itachi remains emotionless as Hayato pales. Shizune and the Hokage have entered. Genma is following behind them and doesn't look pleased.

"This is a surprise. I didn't expect to see the two of you here," Tsunade says to Hayato and Itachi as she sits at the counter.

Itachi decides to do Hayato a favor and talk to the Hokage while he speaks with Genma. Genma has his elbow on the counter and is supporting his head. When Hayato asks what happened, Genma mutters an explanation. Apparently, Tsunade wanted to spend the day with her apprentice and Genma to observe their relationship.

Shizune leaves momentarily and Tsunade uses this time to address Genma.

"I know you aren't happy that I came along with you today, but I just wanted to see how much you cared about one another. Shizune and I are extremely close and I just wanted to make sure you're worthy of her," Tsunade says.

Genma glances at the Hokage before ordering a drink which Hayato unwillingly prepares. Genma doesn't drink often, but he is definitely not someone Hayato would like to see drunk. Last time, his cousin had to spend the night as his apartment. The next morning, Genma's hangover caused him to spend most of his time in the bathroom throwing up.

Tsunade gives Genma a smile before saying "I'm pleased to say that there is no one better suited for Shizune. The two of you have worked together almost flawlessly on missions and care deeply for each other."

The Hokage leans in slightly as Shizune heads back to whisper "I have no doubt in my mind that she'll agree to marry you."

Genma whips his head around to look at Tsunade with a surprised look on his face.

"How did you…," Hayato and Genma both begin before trailing off.

"I'm very observant and I can read your behavior. Besides, I'm not the Hokage for nothing," she responds.

Hayato turns to his cousin and asks "Do you still want me to do that thing we talked about?"

"Sure."

Shizune returns to her seat and Hayato offers them a table instead of the counter. The three agree and change to a table just as more people enter. Hana and Sorami are in this group.

Taro tells Hayato to go on stage and get ready. Hayato hears laughing behind him and turns to see the girls sitting at a table. Itachi has sat down as well and is smirking. He just can't wait to see Hayato embarrassed.

The bar seems fuller than Hayato has ever seen it as he stands on the stage. He's never really sung before and doesn't know if he's good or not. He's rather not find out in front of so many people either. **(Just to let you know, there's only about 10 people in the bar.) **Before Hayato's ready, he can hear the music start. He takes a deep breath and begins to sing.


	9. Feelings through Song

**Feelings through Song**

Hayato looks out at the crowd and takes a deep breath when the music begins. Before he starts, Hayato scans the customers for two people in particular. He spots them and smiles nervously. He notices Shizune give him an encouraging smile. If only she knew what was really going on. Finally, Hayato opens his mouth and sings.

_Every time our eyes meet  
This feeling inside me  
is almost more than I can take  
Baby when you touch me  
I can feel how much you love me  
And it just blows me away  
I've never been this close to anyone or anything  
I can hear your thoughts  
I can see your dreams_

Itachi listens for a while before he stands up to get back to work. As he walks around, he catches a glimpse of pink and stops to get a better look. He smiles to himself when he sees that Sakura, Naruto, and his brother have stopped by. It seems that Sakura dragged the boys here.

I don't know how you do what you do  
I'm so in love with you, it just keeps getting better  
I wanna spend the rest of my life, with you by my side  
Forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
Baby I'm amazed by you 

Hayato noticed Itachi leave the table and stop to look at another one. He follows his gaze to find Team 7 enjoying themselves. Well actually, Naruto is laughing and pointing at Sasuke while Sakura is telling Naruto to stop being rude.

There's a reddish tint to the youngest Uchiha's face and Hayato smirks. It seems as though this song is affecting three couples tonight, because Sasuke's blush increases more with every word. He may have even heard Sasuke mutter "shut up, dobe."

The smell of you skin  
the taste of your kiss  
the way you whisper in the dark  
your hair all around me, baby you surround me  
you touch every place in my heart  
oh, it feels like the first time every time  
I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes 

Itachi glances back on stage and meets Hayato's eye. He glares when his friend discreetly gestures to Hana then winks.

Once Hayato finished teasing Itachi, he looks at Hana. She had been talking with Sorami, but stopped when he looked over. He can't help but wonder if it's because he's not a good singer.

Those thoughts quickly disappear once the looks back towards his cousins table. The Hokage has her eyes closed and is smiling as she nods her head to the music. Hayato feels really good when he sees Shizune grinning.

Hayato continues to watch them as he sings the rest of the song.

Every little thing that you do  
I'm so in love with you  
it just keeps getting better  
I wanna spend the rest of my life, with you by my side  
forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
oh, every little thing that you do  
baby I'm amazed by you... 

Hayato closes his eyes and the music fades away. Suddenly, he hears clapping and his eyes snap open. He looks around at the bar to see everyone clapping. Except for the Uchihas of course, but that is to be expected.

Hayato smile before taking a small bow. He jumps of the stage and stuffs his hands into his pockets. He walks over to Sorami and Hana then slides in beside them.

"Shouldn't you be working?" Hana asks with an eyebrow raised.

He shrugs before saying "Singing was part of my job. Right now, I'm taking a break."

"I don't think so," says a voice beside Hayato.

Hayato lets out a sigh when Itachi puts a hand on his shoulder and pulls him up. The two get back to work and soon they notice Genma and Shizune leaving. When Genma looks at them, Hayato gives him an encouraging thumbs-up.

As the night goes on, people begin departing from the bar. Suddenly, there's an eruption of laughter and everyone turns to see Sasuke storming off with Naruto rolling around on the floor. The pink haired medic nin scolds the blonde before following the angry Uchiha.

The boy stops laughing when he senses danger. He jumps up to see the Hokage towering over him.

"My office, now!"

Naruto cringes from her fury and takes off as fast as he can towards the Hokage's office.

Every thing is quiet after the outburst and after a few more songs it's closing time. Hayato and Itachi help Taro close up before meeting with the girls to walk them home.

While Hayato is talking to Itachi, Hana reaches out with her foot to trip him. The plan was to get Hayato to fall into Sorami, but Hayato wasn't made a member of ANBU for nothing. Hayato easily avoids Hana's foot and glances over his shoulder at her.

"It'll take more than that to make a fool out of me."

Hana smirks and says "You're right. Maybe I'll tell Taro to make you sing a really girly song next time."

Hayato laughs dryly and they continue walking. They drop Sorami off first then head to Hana's house.

Once they leave, Hana gets ready for bed. She puts the picture the four took earlier that day in a frame and places it on her dresser with the others. Hana looks at each of her friends, but her eyes linger on one specifically. Why can't he tell that she isn't truly happy? Why is he so oblivious to her feelings?

Hana gives a sad smile. It's nothing like the one Itachi normally sees. The fake, cheerful smile that she uses as a mask.

_Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see  
That I want and I'm needing everything that we should be  
I'll be she's beautiful, that girl he talks about  
And she's got everything that I have to live without_

Why can't it be her? It's not like Itachi talks about any girls, but she really wishes he'd at least take notice of her. When Hayato mentioned their bond, it gave her hope. Hope that they had a future together. So many incidents occurred between them and she's sure he blushed on more than one occasion.

Drew talks to me, I laugh cause it's so damn funny  
That I can't even see anyone when he's with me  
He says he's so in love, he's finally got it right,  
I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night 

Hana wipes away a tear and scowls. Since when is she so mushy? She's Inuzuka Hana for God's sake!

She walks over to the door in her room to go outside. She crosses her arms and leans against the doorframe. Hana looks up at the sky to catch a glimpse of a shooting star. When she finds herself making a wish, she shakes her head and goes back inside.

He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar  
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star  
He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do 

Hana sits at the edge of her bed and closes her eyes. She could picture Itachi so clearly. His graceful stride makes her own appear awkward. His dark eyes may be cold, but the Inuzuka wouldn't mind looking in them forever.

Hana lies back and lets out a discouraged sigh before looking up at the ceiling. Itachi's so perfect that it's frustrating. Hana stands again and crosses her arms. Itachi's a prodigy, a genius. But for some reason, he can't see that she loves him.

Drew walks by me, can he tell that I can't breathe?  
And there he goes, so perfectly,  
The kind of flawless I wish I could be  
She'd better hold him tight, give him all her love  
Look in those beautiful eyes and know she's lucky cause 

Hana laughs bitterly as she thinks about how much she cares for Itachi. Soon more tears begin to fall as she realizes just how much she loves the stupid Uchiha.

He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar  
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star  
He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do 

Her eyes fall on the picture again and she laughs lightly when she sees his face. It's expressionless like always. On the extremely rare cases that Itachi does show emotion, it's either anger or the tiniest of smiles. Either one can get her heart pounding.

Hana shakes her head as she puts the picture face down. This way, there's a change she could fall asleep tonight.

So I drive home alone, as I turn out the light  
I'll put his picture down and maybe  
Get some sleep tonight 

Itachi is the only one Hana has allowed so close to her. He's the only one who could truly break her heart.

Every time Hayato played a trick on them, she silently thanked him. Whenever she helped Itachi beat him up, Hana would deliberately miss on occasion in hope Hayato would recognize her gratitude.

He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar  
The only one who's got enough for me to break my heart  
He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do  
He's the time taken up, but there's never enough  
And he's all that I need to fall into.. 

Hana lies in bed, staring at the ceiling for what seems like hours.

_  
Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see._

Hana lets out a sigh and sits up. There's no way she's going to get any sleep. Instead, Hana throws some clothes on and whistles for her dogs.

The Haimaru Triplets don't seem happy when they trot up to their master as she's tying her shoes. Once she's set, Hana opens the door and goes for a walk. Hopefully, one that will clear her head.

* * *

**The songs I used were "Amazed" by Lonestar and "Teardrops on My Guitar" by Taylor Swift. Reviews are appreciated!**


	10. A Shove in the Right Direction

**A Shove in the Right Direction**

The sky is dark and stars twinkle brightly. Hayato stares up at them from the tree he's relaxing in. Itachi is on another branch beside the brunette. The quiet and comfortable night is just the thing Hayato needs.

"Why are we out here when we could be sleeping or doing something productive?" Itachi asks breaking the silence.

Hayato closes his eyes and inhales deeply. "I'm too excited to sleep. My family is about to get a little bigger with the addition of Shizune. It'll no longer be just me and Genma. Besides, there isn't anything else to do," he responds with a smile.

The two continue to rest until Hayato senses someone's chakra. It's far away, but he can still recognize it. And from what Hayato can tell, they're heading this way.

'What's she doing up still?' he wonders.

He's sure Itachi has picked up on the other's nearing presence as well. Hayato searches his brain for an idea.

'Let's see. Hana's a veterinarian, but she does have basic medic nin skills.'

Immediately after this thought, Hayato opens his eyes and a mischievous smirk spreads across his face.

"Hey, Itachi? How about we spar for a while?" he asks while forcing the amusement from his voice.

The Uchiha responds with a dull "fine." Hayato's smirk grows wider.

'I'll have to go full out to make sure this works,' he thinks to himself as he removes the weights strapped to his ankles. He'll need every bit of his speed against the former Akatsuki member.

He notices Itachi starting to jump down the tree and calls out to him. "We're staying right here."

Itachi looks up only to jump out of the way of a kunai. He searches the trees for Hayato, but can't see him. He knows he's still there though because he can sense his chakra. Itachi also senses another chakra and briefly becomes distracted. This gives Hayato enough time to create a few shadow clones and have them rush at Itachi.

Itachi's attention has gone back to the fight and he faces off against the clones. He wasn't prepared for their speed however. That's one thing Itachi had underestimated about Hayato.

Hayato watches Itachi's movements carefully from a safe distance. He notices when his friend begins rapidly making hand signs. Taking this as his cue, Hayato uses the moment to execute a paralysis jutsu.

Knowing he doesn't have much time before Itachi breaks free, Hayato rushes in armed with kunai. Itachi meets his direct attack with another kunai. His eyes are red meaning he's activated his Sharingan.

Itachi is about to use genjutsu when Hayato does a more complex paralysis jutsu. Hayato mentally thanks God as he reaches towards the Uchiha. He sends chakra into his hand making it glow blue.

Itachi's eyes widen an unnoticeable fraction as Hayato's hand nears him. He fights against Hayato's jutsu and escapes, but not before Hayato absorbs some of his chakra.

"That's new," he mutters under his breath once he's out of range.

Again, Hayato uses his speed and appears behind Itachi. The black haired man swiftly turns to block a kunai with his own.

The battle continues and Hayato drains Itachi's chakra little by little. Soon, the Uchiha can't move fast enough to dodge Hayato's attacks effectively. Hayato uses this to his advantage and faces him head on.

Arming himself, Hayato uses the same chakra absorbing technique with the kunai. He needs to give Itachi a few scratches to make his plan successful. After a few hits, Itachi's eyes revert back to their black color.

Once he's drained Itachi's chakra so he's just able to walk, Hayato grabs his friend and tosses him to the ground from the tree. To make sure Itachi can't get up, he uses another paralysis jutsu.

"Remember to use protection," Hayato teases before waiting eagerly for Hana to arrive.

Before Itachi can angrily reply, Hana is at his side checking his injures. Hayato can hear the sharingan user swearing under his breath and smirks to himself. Fortunately, Itachi underestimated him otherwise it would most likely be Hayato on the ground instead.

Itachi searches the trees while Hana checks his wounds. He's definitely going to kill Hayato the next chance he gets. He can hear Hana's dogs behind her, but can't see them from his position on the ground. She must've been walking them.

He feels Hayato's jutsu lift just before Hana helps him stand. When she asks what happened, he ignores her. There's no way in hell a single soul's going to find out what happened.

Hana sighs and assists him in walking. She leads him out of the forest and towards the village. Itachi can sense Hayato following them from a distance.

Hana can smell a mixture of anger and Hayato's scent on Itachi and pieces together the situation in her head. She laughs only to have Itachi look at her suspiciously before glaring. She raises her free hand defensively and continues to support Itachi as they walk.

Itachi chooses to remain silent and doesn't question his friend as they go to her house. Once inside, Hana guides Itachi to her room.

"The couch is too small for me to heal you there," she claims.

Hana sits Itachi on the bed. Feeling warm, she removes her vest in hopes of cooling off. Itachi watches as she kneels down and pumps chakra into her hands. They start to glow green and Hana begins healing Itachi's cuts. The treatment is soothing and cause Itachi's muscles to relax.

"Why were you in the forest so late?" Itachi asks, his curiosity getting the better of him.

The Inuzuka avoids meeting his eyes and mumbles "Couldn't sleep."

There's silence as Hana continues to work. When she finishes, she goes to stand, but trips over one of the dogs who was at her feet. She involuntarily closes her eyes and puts her hands out to catch herself. Hana feels warm air blow into her face and Itachi's scent greets her nostrils.

Hana opens her eyes and nearly panics by their closeness. Her face grows hot and she quickly straightens. She mutters an apology and looks away. Hana glares at the Haimaru Triplets and they slink out of the room.

Itachi believes he caught a hint of a reddish hue on the woman's cheeks. Even though there's a light on, it's difficult to determine because of the Inuzuka's red tattoos. When the woman turns to leave, Itachi becomes disappointed.

"Where are you going? This is your room," Itachi states as he props himself up on his elbows.

"You shouldn't move until you're fully recovered. You'll stay here while I sleep on the couch," Hana replies.

She begins walking away again and Itachi's displeasure grows. He can no longer deny what his heart and Hayato have been telling him all along. The desire has built up and now is too massive.

As Hana walks towards the door, she feels hands land on her hips. She can feel warmth seeping into her body from the contact.

Itachi isn't sure what to say. He understands his feelings and reacted on instinct. The problem is now he doesn't know how to tell Hana.

"Don't leave," he murmurs.

Itachi nuzzles her neck and inhales her scent causing Hana to grow anxious. She moves in his arms and Itachi feels a twinge in his heart. She's leaving and he couldn't stop her.

When he realizes that Hana is just turning around, he lifts his head and looks her in the eyes. Hana meets his cold eyes as she touches his cheek. The action surprises Itachi causing him to drop his guard. This allows Hana to catch all of his current emotions in his eyes as they surface.

"It's okay to let me in, Itachi. You can trust me," she whispers softly. Hana moves her hand to the Uchiha's chest and he's surprised by how gently the normally fierce Inuzuka is being.

Itachi leans in uncertainly to place a soft kiss on her forehead. Hana's eyes widen from shock due to the gesture and her heart begins to pound as Itachi's lips move to her neck. He slowly gives butterfly kisses along her neck and Hana tilts her head to the side, allowing him more access.

Itachi proceeds to place feather, light kiss up to her jaw. As Itachi's lips move along her jaw, Hana notices that Itachi's eyes are closed. Her heart beats vigorously when she realizes how close his lips are to her own. It's so loud it's impossible for him not to hear it.

Itachi brushes Hana's slightly parted lips tentatively before kissing her fully. Hana is too shocked to respond much if at all. Her brain completely short circuits when she feels Itachi lick her bottom lip.

Hana gasps and his tongue slowly enters her mouth. Her eyes flutter closed as Itachi explores her mouth. Itachi's tongue strokes her own before he removes it. He gently nips her bottom lip before reluctantly breaking away.

Itachi's eyes remain closed as he contemplates why Hana didn't respond. Just as he's wondering if kissing her was a mistake, he feels arms wrap around his neck. When he becomes aware of Hana playing with his soft locks, his face grows warm and he suppresses the color making its way to his face. His eyes open when light pressure is put on his lips.

Hana kisses him and he can feel need behind her kiss. He closes his eyes once more and returns the kiss. His arms wrap around her waist and he pulls her closer. Itachi licks her bottom lip again, asking for entrance. Hana immediately grants it and revels in Itachi's taste.

Itachi backs Hana up into the door and locks it. He then moves from her mouth to her neck. He kisses her pulse and gives it a gentle nip. He's going to leave a mark declaring she belongs to him. When Itachi begins sucking a sensitive spot, he receives a moan from Hana. He smirks against her neck and presses her further against the door.

Hana can feel her face heat up as Itachi's hands slip under her shirt. They remain on her hips and she feels Itachi still smirking against her neck. He doesn't move and it's torturing her. She's just about ready to explode.

"Itachi-kun…," Hana moans begging him to do something.

Hana's whimpering sends waves of pleasure through Itachi's body. He always hated when people called him Itachi-kun. For Hana however, it's different. He _needs_ to hear his name come out of her mouth in that breathless tone.

When he remains motionless, the Inuzuka bucks her hips and earns a grunt. Itachi's reaction causes her to respond boldly by grinding her hips against his. The action catches the dark haired man off guard and he tenses. His head drops to Hana's shoulder and she hears him groan.

Hana lifts his head and she meets hazy black eyes. She connects their mouths as his hands travel down her thighs. She gasps when Itachi lifts her up and he uses the opportunity to enter her mouth again. Hana instinctively wraps her legs around the Uchiha's waist for support as he pushes her against the door.

Quickly growing tired from his lack of chakra, Itachi backs up towards the bed. He carefully lies down with Hana on top of him. He decides to allow her to dominate him for now because she most likely won't get another opportunity. The oldest Uchiha grabs a shuriken from his weapon's pack and throws it at the light switch. His dead on accuracy causes the room to only be lit by moon light.

**(A/N: They don't go **_**that **_**far, but tell me if I need to change the rating. I will also suggest certain activities in future chapters so I don't know if the rating should change to M.)**

As Itachi lies on the bed, he rests his hands on Hana's hips. While they kiss, he can feel Hana's hands venture to the hem of his shirt and start playing with it. Before long, Hana has removed his shirt and is running her fingers along tone stomach.

Itachi clutches the sheets as Hana trails kisses down his jaw, neck, chest, and abs before coming to a stop at his pants. They're tight and uncomfortable. Hana soon relieves him of the problem by slipping them off.

Hana returns to Itachi's lips, but Itachi's eyes snap open when her hands start moving towards his boxers. His eyes widen when they receive a tug. He quickly flips them over and hovers above Hana. She looks up at him questioningly.

"That's not fair. I'm just in my boxers while you're fully dressed," he growls.

Hana's eyes travel down Itachi's body and come to a stop at a bulge in his boxers. Seeing how aroused he is causes her to blush.

Itachi smirks at her and says "The Inuzuka Hana is blushing."

He studies her for a moment before muttering "Damn you, Hana."

He crashes his mouth to hers and can feel Hana smiling against his lips. As he attacks her mouth, she gives his boxers another tug making him break away with a sigh. He moves his mouth to her ear and whispers "In time, Hana-_chan_."

The statement sends shivers down the Inuzuka's spine and her blush deepens as he rolls off her. 'Hana-chan?' she thinks to herself. She looks at the Uchiha beside her in wonder. The man stares at the ceiling as he inhales deeply. Who knew he had so much self control? Itachi certainly didn't.

He feels Hana move closer to him and turns on his side to allow her to snuggle into his chest. The sharingan user wraps his arms around her and pulls her close. He notices Hana has closed her eyes and studies her features before kissing the top of her head. He patiently waits for her to fall into a peaceful sleep before leaving her warm embrace.

Itachi gathers his clothes and sees a picture face down. He noticed it earlier, but decided not to mention it. He glances over his shoulder at the sleeping woman before picking it up. He raises an eyebrow when he discovers it's the same one they took earlier that day.

The oldest Uchiha places the picture upright on the dresser before searching for a piece of paper and a pencil. Once he finds one, Itachi writes a quick note and puts it on Hana's nightstand so she would see it in the morning.

After dressing, Itachi quietly exits Hana's house. He gives it another glance before stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking down the street. Someone falls into step beside him and he doesn't need to open his eyes to see who it is.

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

Itachi refrains from rolling his eyes at Hayato's immaturity.

"You were watching." It's a statement not a question.

Hayato snorts before saying "Please, don't flatter yourself. I'm no pervert. I had to stay close by for when you decided to come home. You can't be alone since you're on probation."

"Hn…so how did you get so fast?" Itachi asks, changing the subject.

Hayato bends over and takes off one of the weights. He hands it to Itachi and says "I've been training hard for years now. You shouldn't write me off just because you've seen me fight a few times. I don't have to share every little detail with you."

Itachi gives no indication that he heard his friend and continues walking. Hayato follows him and grins.

"I don't believe I received a thank you, Uchiha," Hayato says as he slings an arm over Itachi's shoulders.

"And why would I thank you?" he asks monotonously.

The brunette gestures behind them and says "Did I not help you out with Hana?" His question is greeted by silence and he grumbles "Whatever."

Although Itachi would never admit it, he will forever be grateful for what Hayato did. Still that won't stop him from getting revenge for making him look like a fool. Pride is pride after all and Uchiha's hate having their pride damaged.

* * *

**I'm not a pervert, I'm just human! I'm expressing myself for the enjoyment of others.-shifty eyes- Anyway, reviews are appreciated as always.**


	11. Pretending

**There's a hidden message that will come up in a later chapter. Try to figure out what it is.**

**Pretending**

Hana snuggles against something in her sleep. It's soft and comforting. She remembers the events with Itachi last night as she slowly regains consciousness. A small smile graces her features at the thought of sleeping beside Itachi as she hugs the object tightly. Then she's hit with a sudden realization. Itachi isn't this soft.

The Inuzuka opens her eyes and feels foolish when she comes face to face with a pillow. She was hugging a pillow, not Itachi. She glares slightly and sits up. Hana quickly scans the room to find she's alone.

She goes to glance at the clock, but freezes when she spots a piece of paper on the nightstand. Extending her hand, Hana picks it up and unfolds it. It reads:

_I had to_

_leave before the_

_others became_

_very suspicious. Although the_

_elite probably know. I left_

_you a gift. They are_

_on your dresser._

_Until next time,_

_Itachi_

Hana stares at the paper in confusion. 'A gift?' she thinks. She looks over at her dresser to see something black. Standing, she approaches the object and feels her face heat up when she realizes what it is.

"He left me these," the Inuzuka murmurs as she picks up the pair of boxers.

She shakes her head and gives a small smile. Placing them back on the dresser, Hana also notices that the picture of Itachi, Hayato, Sorami, and herself has been put upright. Her smile becomes a grin and she starts to get ready.

After a shower, Hana returns to her room to get dressed. Her attention is drawn back to Itachi's boxers. With a smirk, she picks them up and decides to wear them. Once she's fully dressed, Hana calls her dogs and sets off to Hayato and Itachi's apartment before they go to the training grounds.

Hayato has just woken up and is slowly making his way to the living room. Itachi is already there and reading a scroll. Before he can join his friend, there's a knock on the door.

Groaning, the brunette ambles to the door and opens it. The once tired Hayato jolts awake at the sight of Hana. He stares at her with his mouth slightly open. Itachi peers around Hayato and observes Hana. His eyes widen a fraction before he stands and attempts to sneak out unnoticed.

"Itachi, get your ass back here," Hayato says from the doorway without tearing his gaze from the Inuzuka.

Hana is growing even more worried with each passing second. 'Why are they acting so weird?' she wonders.

Itachi has returned to the couch and Hayato has stepped aside to allow her in. She takes a seat next to Itachi while Hayato sits in a chair facing them. The Haimaru Triplets lay on the floor beside Hana.

"Have you looked in the mirror, Hana?" Hayato asks wearily.

"No. Why?"

"Let's just say I can tell you had a good night," he responds before gesturing to his neck.

Hana suddenly remembers that Itachi had been kissing her neck last night. He must have left a mark. Hana glares at Hayato.

He gives her a smile and says "I won't tell a soul about you and Itachi if it makes you feel better."

The woman crosses her arms and turns her glare at Itachi then grumbles "I hate you."

"That's not how you felt last night."

"Okay. Too much information," Hayato says loudly as Hana punches Itachi in the arm for his comment.

"How about we get some breakfast?" he asks. He receives nods and his companions follow him through the village in search of something to eat.

Hana sees Sorami and waves her over. She joins them and greets them warmly. Hana gives her a smile while Itachi nods. Hana looks at Hayato expectantly. He gives Sorami a smile.

"Hey…Sorami," Hayato says with a hint of uncertainty.

He had trouble remembering her name again, but knew he got it right when she smiled at him. Hayato tries to cover up his forgetfulness by asking her about working at the hospital.

Hana slows during the walk and Itachi recognizes that she wants to talk to him. He falls into step beside her without their friends noticing. Their distance from Hayato and Sorami grows as the two continue their conversation.

Once there's enough space between them, Hana says "I liked your gift."

Itachi glances at her from the corner of his eyes and says "Aa."

"Don't expect them back any time soon."

Itachi gives her an expression that asks "Why not?"

Hana smiles mischievously at him and says "They're really comfortable."

The only response she receives is a raised eyebrow before Hayato calls them. The group enters the restaurant for some food. Sorami has joined them since it's her day off. Hana and Sorami are sitting by the window while Hayato and Itachi take the aisle. Hana's dogs are under the table at her feet.

After they've gotten drinks, Sorami says "So you're just going to keep quiet about that hickey."

"What? It's a bruise, not a hickey," Hana argues.

Sorami rolls her eyes before saying "Okay then who's lips did you fall on?"

Hana pales and avoids her friend's eyes. Hayato smirks and Itachi gives him a glare in warning.

"Come on, Hana. Tell us something about this guy. We're your friends after all," Hayato says ignoring Itachi.

After some prying from Hayato and Sorami, the Inuzuka gives in. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"What's his name?" Sorami asks.

"I can't tell you that. I will say that he's really good looking," Hana shares wearily.

Itachi watches her from the corner of his eye. As Hana continues to say good things about him, his ego gets a major boost. Of course, he already knew all of these facts. A hint of a smile appears on his face, one that only Hana can notice. She realizes that she needs to tease him a bit to deflate his big head.

"I don't think he knows how to have fun though. He's way to serious all the time. He needs to have more fun instead of training or studying constantly."

The smile disappears and becomes a small frown. Hayato crosses his arms and closes his eyes as he nods in agreement. He opens his eyes and smirks at Itachi. Hana's next blow hurts Itachi's pride far more than her previous one.

"He's sort of shy though and I think I know why. He's a genius, but I have a feeling he isn't gifted downstairs," Hana tells Sorami as Hayato takes a sip of his drink. Itachi growls lowly as Hayato nearly chokes on his drink and starts laughing. The brunette starts banging his fist on the table as he laughs.

"You hear that Itachi. Hana's boyfriend is small," Hayato manages to say between his laughter. He even puts his fingers together for emphasis.

The comment earns Hayato a hard kick to the shin under the table. He glares at the Uchiha across from him before his lips quiver and he can no longer suppress a grin.

Hana and Sorami change the topic and soon they're going to the training grounds. Itachi spars with Hayato so he can get his payback leaving Hana with Sorami. That stupid smile hasn't left Hayato's face since breakfast and Itachi wants to remove it. He also needs to get him back for making him look like a fool yesterday.

Itachi activates his Sharingan and stares at Hayato intently. He watches as Hayato prepares to attack. As he draws closer, Itachi readies a kunai. Noticing Itachi's movements, Hayato changes course. This only causes him to end up trying to avoid Itachi's attacks.

Since his weights are still on, Hayato isn't moving at his maximum speed and Itachi is attacking so rapidly that he doesn't have the opportunity to remove them. He dodges the kunai, but it slashes his clothes a few times.

When Itachi momentarily backs down, Hayato flees into the trees. Itachi scans the area and makes hand signs to prepare a ninjutsu. Hayato emerges and Itachi struggles to refrain from showing his amusement at his friend. Hayato's clothes had snagged on a branch and the slashes it received from Itachi made it tear easily. Now, Hayato is standing in the clearing in only his boxers.

"Asshole! You did that on purpose!" Hayato accuses.

Itachi sends a blast of fire at him and the brunette runs in the direction of Hana and Sorami. Itachi calmly walks after him. When he arrives at the others, Hana is giving Hayato a fierce expression as she yelling at him. Itachi approaches them and Hayato points at him.

"It's his fault. Yell at him!" Hayato complains.

"Well then you probably deserved it," Hana responds coolly.

Hayato throws his hands in the air and lets out a cry of frustration.

"Can you please do something about this?" Hana mumbles as she gestures at Hayato.

Hayato grumbles as he brings his hands up. He makes the hand sign for the Transformation Jutsu and there's a puff of smoke. When it clears, Hayato is fully clothed with his hands in his pocket.

"I'm never taking my flak jacket off again," he mutters under his breath.

Itachi smirks as he recalls that Hayato hadn't put his vest on this morning. It definitely would have help during their spar if Hayato had been wearing it. Itachi would've still made him look like an idiot, but at least he wouldn't have been running around in just his boxers.

Itachi is struck with a realization. Hayato was in his boxers in front of Hana. He grinds his teeth as he watches Hayato. Sorami notices the tightness in his jaw and asks "Are you alright, Itachi?"

"Hn."

Itachi's face loses all traces of emotion as he stares impassively at Hayato. Hayato eyes him and grows nervous when he sees Itachi's dark eyes flash red.

Meanwhile, Hana smells Itachi's irritation and sighs. She bends down to pet her dogs as Hayato leaves to train with Sorami. She feels Itachi's chakra appear behind her once they're out of sight.

The woman remains crouched beside her dogs as she senses the Uchiha shift. His body barely touches her back as he leans towards her. She feels his hot breath on her ear as he whispers "Don't think I've forgotten you're…little remark."

Hana smiles slightly when Itachi hesitates before saying 'little.' It seems she struck a nerve with her comment at breakfast. She rises which makes her body press against his. The action results in Itachi backing up. Turning to face him, she looks him straight in the eye. Anyone else would feel intimidated under the prodigy's gaze, but the Inuzuka is different.

Hana stares directly at him as she says teasingly "Well for all I know, it could be true, Itachi-_kun._"

He glares at her and she knows she's pushing his buttons. Before he can respond, Hana walks away with her dogs at her heels. Since he doesn't have a choice, Itachi follows her.

Itachi would love to prove how wrong Hana is, but he was really hoping they could wait. He lets out an inaudible sigh of frustration. She'll find out soon enough. Itachi has tons of self control, but as much as he hates to admit it, he doubts he could fight his desires for very long.

As he walks beside Hana, their hands brush every once in a while, creating a slight tingling sensation. There's no distinct show of affection that would give away their relationship and that's just fine with them. They both have reputations to upkeep at the moment. He's a genius and prodigy of the Uchiha clan while she's a fierce and loyal member of the Inuzuka clan. Sooner or later however, they will start giving more signs without even realizing it. It's impossible to hide the bond they've formed forever.


	12. I'm Not Drunk

**Hey guys! How have your holidays been? Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been working on another fanfic since I'd been suffering writer's block for this one. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

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**I'm Not Drunk**

About a week and a half has passed since Itachi and Hana have gotten together. They remain secretive about their relationship so only Hayato and Sorami know.

Sorami ended up finding out because Hayato told her to get back at his companions for beating him up all those times. His plan backfired however when Hana overheard him with her sharp hearing. Let's just say Itachi spent most of last week at Hana's since Hayato needed to stay in the hospital after receiving severe burns, and Sorami now has more experience in treating burns.

Currently, Hayato is grumbling as he cleans the counter at Taro's bar. He's eyeing Itachi wearily as he does so. The Uchiha's getting grief from Hana (who's still in her veterinarian uniform) about something, but Hayato can't hear what. He's sure it's just an act because they're in public however. The performance is perfect because the Inuzuka clan has a reputation for being short-tempered. When the bickering individuals (well, more Hana than Itachi) get home, they'll probably be all over each other.

"Oi, get a room and stop bugging me," Hayato says irritably as he slams a fist on the counter.

He refrains from recoiling when death glares are sent in his direction. Thank goodness there're people around or Hayato would be a dead man.

"Tsuki, bring us a couple shots."

The brunette sighs and obeys the customer's order. Before bringing the drinks to the proper table, Hayato fixes a shot for himself and downs it. He has a feeling it's going to be a long night.

As Hayato makes his way to the table, Itachi returns to the counter to take his place. Since its Karaoke Night again, Itachi has no choice, but to listen to drunken individuals singing horribly.

About halfway through a song, Itachi starts praying that his ears don't start to bleed. It takes a few songs until Itachi finds relief. It seems he's not the only one who needed a break because now no one is allowed to even go near the stage for a while.

The sharingan user is preparing a drink when someone hits him in the back. The action causes the drink to spill down Itachi's front.

"Sorr bout dat, Itachiiii."

Itachi's eye starts to twitch involuntarily as he turns to face Hayato. The brunette's cheeks have a red hue to them which tells the Uchiha that his friend has had a little too much to drink.

"Some guys wanted me to sit wit dem an have a couple drinks so I did," he says with a foolish grin.

"What guys?" Itachi asks.

The question seems to confuse Hayato for a moment before he starts gesturing over his shoulder. "I..uh..da guys over by the whatcha ma call it."

Hayato looks over his shoulder and Itachi follows his gaze. "They musta left cause they ain't there no more," Hayato mutters as he scratches his head and looks back at the Uchiha.

Sorami enters the bar and a grin comes across Hayato's face. He scrambles to the stage and whispers something to Taro. Taro nods and the brunette climbs onto the stage to stand before the microphone.

Itachi watches his friend as Sorami takes a seat beside Hana. No one objects to Hayato singing because his previous performances haven't been terrible. This one isn't bad either, but it's clear that Hayato isn't fully aware of what he's doing.

_Since the moment I spotted you  
Like walking 'round with little wings on my shoes  
My stomach's filled with the butterflies...(oo)and it's alright  
Bouncin round from cloud to cloud  
I got the feeling like I'm never gonna come down  
If I said I didn't like it then you'd know I'd lied _

Everytime I try to talk to you  
I get tongue-tied  
Turns out that everything I say to you  
Comes out wrong and never comes out right 

Itachi snorts as Hayato continues to sing. It seems his best friend has hidden feelings for a certain medic nin. Still, Hayato probably doesn't even realize he likes Sorami. He's most likely showing this small window to his true feelings because he's drunk. Itachi will have to mention this once Hayato has sobered up.

So I'll say 'why don't you and I get together and take on the world and be together forever  
Heads we will and tails we'll try again  
So I say why don't you and I hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven  
Cause without you they're never going to let me in

When's this fever gonna break?  
I think I've handled more than any man can take  
I'm like a love-sick puppy chasin you around  
(oo)And it's alright  
Bouncin round from cloud to cloud  
I got the feeling like I'm never gonna come down  
If I said I didn't like it then you'd know I'd lied

Everytime I try to talk to you  
I get tongue-tied  
Turns out that everything I say to you  
Comes out wrong and never comes out right 

Now that Itachi thinks about it, Hayato always seems to have a bit of trouble having a conversation with Sorami. Every so often, the man will stutter or stumble over his words.

So I'll say 'why don't you and I get together and take on the world and be together forever  
Heads we will and tails we'll try again  
So I say why don't you and I hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven  
Cause without you they're never going to let me in

And slowly I begin to realize this is never gonna end  
Right about the same time you walk by  
And I say 'Oh here we go again' oh 

Hana drags Sorami over to Itachi and gives him a furious look.

"Why weren't you watching him to make sure he didn't drink so much?" she asks in a hushed tone.

"He's an adult. I don't need to baby-sit him," the Uchiha replies.

Hana asks Sorami if she can make something to help their drunken friend and she gets to work in preparing an antidote.

Everytime I try to talk to you  
I get tongue-tied  
Turns out that everything I say to you  
Comes out wrong and never comes out right

So I'll say 'why don't you and I get together and take on the world and be together forever  
Heads we will and tails we'll try again  
So I say why don't you and I hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven  
Cause without you they're never going to let me in

So I'll say 'why don't you and I get together and take on the world and be together forever  
Heads we will and tails we'll try again  
So I say why don't you and I hold each other and fly to the moon and straight on to heaven  
Cause without you they're never going to let me in 

There's clapping and whistling once the song ends as Hayato takes an awkward bow. Jumping down from the stage, Hayato makes his way back to Itachi.

By now, Sorami has finished with Hayato's antidote and Itachi hands him the drink without a word. Hayato downs the glass and places it on the counter.

A strange expression crosses Hayato's face before his eyes droop as he starts to sway.

"Tachi, I don't feel so good."

Hayato clutches his stomach and Itachi backs up just in time to avoid getting vomit on his clothes in addition to alcohol. Holding the bar for support, Hayato groans as he wipes his mouth. Itachi glares at the brunette as he starts cleaning up the mess.

"It'll be a while until the remedy takes effect and Hayato's back to normal. I suggest taking him home and letting him sleep it off," Sorami advises.

Itachi nods as Hana goes off to tell Taro they'll be leaving. Itachi slings Hayato's arm over his shoulder and waits for Hana to return before going to their apartment.

* * *

Once inside, Itachi tells Hana to spend the night here since she's tired from her long day and she reluctantly agrees. Itachi puts Hayato in his room before going to meet Hana in the living room. He pauses outside the door to his room when he senses her chakra inside. Opening the door, the Uchiha finds Hana looking around his room. Itachi watches her for a moment before approaching her. He knows she's aware of his presence when she freezes.

"What're you doing in my room?" he whispers in her ear.

"If you want me to leave I can," Hana says as she turns around with a smile on her face. The grin fades away once she looks into Itachi's eyes. They're filled with emotion which surprises Hana enough to make her back away from him.

The Inuzuka's strong sense of smell allows her to recognize desire mixed in with alcohol on Itachi. Itachi approaches Hana again making her back away once more. The man smirks when she runs out of room and her back is against the wall. Itachi stands before Hana with his hands on either side of her head.

"I never said being in my room was a bad thing."

Hana studies him for a moment before walking over to his bed and pulling off the blankets and pillows. "Fine, but I'm sleeping on the floor," she replies as she sets up her bed.

"That won't be necessary," the Uchiha states.

Hana frowns when the blankets and pillows are pulled away from her and she sees Itachi putting them back on his bed. He turns around and has a mischievous expression playing on his face as he draws nearer. Hana bites her lip and observes him until he holds something white in front of her face.

Recognizing it as her uniform, Hana's expression is one of shock as she looks down hoping he didn't remove all of her clothes. Finding herself in her normal attire, she looks back up. 'How did he do that so fast without me noticing,' she thinks to herself.

Itachi's scent mixed with lust and alcohol reminds Hana of her current situation. "Maybe you should lie down for a while, Itachi. You're obviously intoxicated," Hana argues as Itachi caresses her arm.

"I didn't have even a sip. You smell the alcohol Hayato spilled on me. Feel free to check my breath or even taste for all I care," Itachi responds. His suggestiveness makes Hana blush. Who would've thought the cold-hearted Uchiha would ever behave this way, especially to her?

"But that means you're…"

Itachi smirks and says "What's wrong Hana? Weren't you the one who said I need to have more fun?"

Hana's face turns a red that could give her tattoos a run for their money. Itachi wets his lips making her wet her own in response. Itachi's strange behavior shocks the Inuzuka. A kiss on the forehead pulls Hana from her daze. Looking up, her brown eyes clash with Itachi's onyx orbs.

Sensing Hana's uncertainty, Itachi says "Did you see the note I left you that night almost two weeks ago?"

Hana nods, digs the piece of paper out from her pocket, and gives it to Itachi. The Uchiha raises an eyebrow and she says "I put it in my pocket a while ago because I wanted to ask you about it. I kept forgetting to do it and left it there."

Itachi folds the paper so it hides all but the first letters of each line and shows it to Hana. "What does it say?" Hana can hear the smile in his voice.

"I love you," Hana reads out loud as Itachi places a hand on her cheek. Her wide eyes meet Itachi's again and see sincerity in them. He gently caresses her cheek making her heart beat even faster.

Her vision blurs and she feels Itachi's strong arms wrap around her. Itachi pulls her even closer as tears slowly fall. Seeing the tough Inuzuka crying makes Itachi feel as if someone pierced his heart, but he finds relief when Hana smiles up at him and he realizes they're tears of joy.

Hana reaches up and pulls Itachi's face down so their lips are just touching. "I love you too," she murmurs against Itachi's lips, sending a shiver down his spine.

The sharingan user gives her a peck before kissing away her tears. Afterwards, he moves down to her neck to inhale her scent. Itachi sighs in disappointment when Hana moves away.

Hana laughs at his frustrated expression and grabs his hand before pulling him to his bed. The Uchiha smirks before kissing her passionately and laying her down. Hana moans into his mouth then whimpers slightly when he breaks away.

Itachi's breath is in her ear as he hovers over her. "By the way, I'm anything but small," he whispers huskily before licking the shell of her ear.

* * *

Hayato groans in annoyance as he covers his head with a pillow. 'They've been at it all night,' he thinks to himself when there's another thud against his wall.

He hadn't been serious when he told them to get a room earlier. He just wanted them to stop irritating him and now their still finding ways to aggravate him in his own house.

Hayato sits up and covers his ears with his hands causing his pillow to fall into his lap. The pounding on the wall continues as he looks over at his clock. The brunette grinds his teeth when he learns it's one in the morning. 'I was right. It _is_ going to be a long night.'

"Just kill me," he growls lowly. "Why does Itachi's room have to be right next to mine?!"

After what seems like forever, the noises stop and a pissed off Hayato sighs in relief. Deciding to take a chance, he looks over at his clock to find out it's now almost three.

Hayato angrily flops down on the bed and buries his head in his pillows. Pulling the comforter over his head, he settles on killing the two in the morning.

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**Let me know if I need to change the rating, and like always, reviews are appreciated.**


	13. Turn of Events

**Happy New Year!! I know it's sort of late, but I've been busy.

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**Turn of Events**

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

CRASH.

The alarm clock breaks to pieces after making contact with the wall. A groan is heard from the figure who threw it. Knowing she has to get up, Hana sits upright and throws her legs over the side of the bed.

Her body is incredibly sore as she tries to gather her clothes. Her movements are awkward as she gets dressed. The Inuzuka doesn't realize she's being watched until chuckling is heard behind her.

"Shut up," she says as she glares at Itachi.

The man is propped up on an elbow as a hint of a smirk plays on him face. Hana turns back around to finish getting dressed.

She's wearing her tank top and about to put on her vest when Itachi appears behind her after slipping on some boxers. He's arms wrap around her waist and prevent her from putting on her flak jacket. His lips brush her shoulder making her sigh.

"Itachi?"

"Hm..."

"What was the point of using your Sharingan?" she asks. The question had been gnawing at her for a while now.

"I wanted to memorize everything," the Uchiha answers quietly.

His response brings a blush to Hana's face.

"By the way," Itachi adds as he turns her around. "You owe me a new clock."

Hana rolls her eyes and is about to retort when Itachi kisses her softly. Her small flame of anger instantly vanishes. Itachi's gentleness never ceases to amaze her. It's hard to believe the man before her had brutally killed his entire clan. She understands why it really happened, though.

Without her realizing it, Itachi has steered them back to the bed and is now hovering over her. Their kiss grows even more passionate until the door bursts open. Due to her surprise, Hana accidentally knees Itachi in the groin as she pushes him away. The Uchiha bites his lip in pain as he doubles over.

Both look over to see a disheveled Hayato standing in the doorway. His hands are balled into fists at his sides and he's looking at the ground. A murderous aura seems to surround their friend. The door he broke in is destroyed.

"Knock it off," he says darkly. The brunette lifts his head and a pissed off expression is on his face. Dark bags under his eyes tell Itachi and Hana that their friend didn't sleep well.

"This is my house and I will not tolerate you making noises and keeping me from sleeping!" Hayato growls.

"I live here too," Itachi states.

Hayato gives him a glare and says "But you're not paying the rent, are you?"

"You're the one who was pushing us together," Hana argues loudly.

Hayato massages his temples. "Keep it down," he murmurs irritably.

"Maybe if you didn't drink so much you wouldn't have a hangover."

Hayato's eye twitches in annoyance before he turns and leaves. As he walks down the hall, he grumbles about making a list of things he needs to get revenge for.

* * *

Tsunade stares at the irritated man before her. She just can't understand why he isn't his normal, easygoing self. Instead, Hayato is rather bad-tempered.

"Are you alright, Hayato?" she asks concerned.

"To be honest, I've been better, Hokage-sama. Anyway, I have nothing new to report. Itachi and I have kept our jobs and he hasn't caused any trouble since I last saw you," Hayato replies.

Tsunade nods and continues to watch the ANBU member. "I'm concerned that supervising Uchiha Itachi is putting more of a strain on you than I expected. No offense, but you look like crap."

"My apologies," the brunette says with a bow. "I didn't sleep well last night. Itachi is not a burden. It's my fault. I had a bit too much to drink. I hope you understand."

As much as he hates Itachi and Hana at the moment, Hayato can't bring himself to divulge their relationship to the Hokage. He hopes to share it when his life is not threatened by the Uchiha's wrath.

"There's one more thing I need to talk to you about," Tsunade says solemnly.

The regretful tone the blonde uses as she explains the situation to Hayato leads him to understand that there's nothing she can do to help at the moment. Hayato sighs. He may need to reveal the relationship between his friends whether he wants to or not.

Hayato leaves the Hokage's office and sits on an empty bench beside the road. It's still early so the roads are nearly empty. Seeing as there's no one so witness his moment of weakness, Hayato drops his head into his hands.

'Why must things get complicated when everything's just starting to go well?' he thinks to himself.

When Hayato feels a familiar chakra signature nearing him, he lifts his head and leans back. Shizune appears with a smile soon after he does this.

He returns the smile with some force and says "Hey Shizune-chan. I haven't seen you since Genma proposed. How've you been?"

The woman sits beside Hayato and replies "I'm fine, but I'm more worried about you. I guess Tsunade-sama told you about the trial."

Hayato's fake smile fades, telling Shizune she was correct.

"Yeah," he answers with a sigh. "It added to my already crappy day."

"It's still early," Shizune observes. "How could your day already be so bad?"

"Well, I had a hangover which means I was drunk. If I was drunk, I must have done something incredibly stupid, but I haven't found out what it is yet. Then I was up most of the night and didn't receive the best wake up call. Now, the elders are making Itachi go on trial."

"Why didn't you sleep?"

"Itachi and…" Hayato catches his mistake and quickly covers it up. "Itachi and I have noisy neighbors."

"Maybe you should invest in a pair of earplugs," the medic nin suggests.

Hayato sighs yet again. "That's not a bad idea, Shizune-chan," he says as he rises. "Tell that cousin of mine 'hello' for me."

After walking away some distance, Hayato summons one of his falcons. The falcon appears ready for orders.

"What do you need, Hayato-sama?" it asks.

"I told you not to call me that, Shou. I'm a friend, not a master. Anyway, I need you to find Itachi and Hana and deliver a message. Tell them to meet me at that tea shop."

"Tea?" Shou asks. "But you never drink tea."

"Yeah well, I really need to get rid of this headache," Hayato replies as he rubs his temples.

The ANBU member heads over to the tea shop he pointed to while his falcon flies off in search of his friends. He sits for a while with his head resting on the table. The cool surface is just starting to dull his aching head when someone taps his shoulder.

The brunette sits up to see a young woman smiling at him. "Um…can I help you?" he asks in confusion.

"I was just going to ask you the same thing. Can I get you some tea?" she asks.

Hayato spots a name tag that reads 'Yuna' and realizes she's one of the waitresses. He blushes slightly in embarrassment as he orders and is relieved when she leaves him in peace. Hayato's eyes droop and his head fall back onto the table. Unfortunately for him, Yuna quickly returns with his drink.

He notices her fidgeting a bit as she places the tea in front of him. When she starts talking, his brain is half asleep and he's completely lost in the conversation. Finally realizing Yuna asked a question and is now waiting for his answer, he agrees in hopes she'll be satisfied and leave him alone.

"Hayato?" a voice asks from behind him.

"Finally, you guys are here," he moans as Itachi and Hana take seats across from him.

The Inuzuka orders drinks while Itachi stares at Hayato, waiting for Yuna to leave. When she does so, the sharingan user asks "Do you realize you just agreed to go to dinner with that woman?"

It takes a moment for Hayato to register what Itachi said. "Hypothetically, let's say I had no clue that I agreed to going to dinner. Do you think I could back out?"

Hana kicks her oblivious friend in aggravation from under the table. Her plan to set him up with Sorami isn't going as planned and she isn't happy about it. Seeing Hana's frustration, the Uchiha changes the subject.

"What did you need to talk to us about?"

Hayato sits up and gives his friend an apologetic expression. "You're going to have a trial sometime at the end of the week. Apparently, the elders don't trust you and think you should receive a greater punishment. Possible even have you executed."

Hayato doesn't even flinch when Hana stands and slams her fists on the table. He'd been expecting her reaction to be an angry one.

"No way. They can't suddenly change Itachi's sentence," she argues.

"Calm down, Hana. No one said they would succeed. We can only benefit from Itachi already being in the village for a while. He's done nothing wrong besides keep me up last night. Oh, remind me to pick up some earplugs on the way home, Itachi."

Still upset, the furious Inuzuka storms off to the Hokage's office herself. The young men just watch her leave. Once she's no longer in their vision, Hayato turns to Itachi.

"So, did I do anything stupid last night being drunk and all?"

"You always do something stupid," the dark haired man replies impassively.

The other crosses his arms over his chest and mumbles "I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

Bringing his hands to his face, Hayato moans "I can't believe I have to go to dinner with Yuna."

"Well get over it. You've got a date and you can't back out of it."

"It's not a date," Hayato hisses.

Itachi shrugs as he takes a sip of his tea. Hayato slams some money on the table before standing and walking out of the shop with Itachi close behind. It can be a real pain following either him or Hana all the time, but he'll just have to deal with it for the time being. Instead, Itachi thinks about his upcoming trial.

On the way to their apartment, Hayato stops in a store for earplugs which he plans to use when they get home. When the two arrive at their apartment, Hayato goes to get some rest while Itachi goes through some of his books. Whenever he finds something useful, the Uchiha writes it down on a scroll. He doesn't find much, but the information he gathered should help in at least keeping him from being executed.

Hours pass and Hayato finally emerges from his room. Soon after, Hana comes over with her dogs. She still isn't pleased about today's events, but has calmed down considerably.

"You really should start getting ready for your date, Hayato," Itachi says coolly.

"I refuse to accept this as a date. It is merely a meal with someone that I unthinkingly agreed to," Hayato argues. "And I think what I'm wearing now is perfectly acceptable for such an occasion," he adds before walking out the door.

"So what did Hokage-sama say?" Itachi asks as if nothing happened.

Hana takes a seat beside him and says "There's nothing she can do, but you shouldn't get too bad of a punishment. You definitely shouldn't be put to death with your current reasoning for your actions."

"Aa…"

"Hayato and I can help defend your case since we're the ones who are supervising you and know you best. It would probably be best if Sasuke wasn't there. Who knows what he might say."

Itachi gives no indication that he heard her as he picks up one of his books. He stares at it for a while before flipping through the pages. When he comes to a section about a certain person, he stops and studies the picture. The smiling face of his former teammate, Kiyoko, greets Itachi's face. It seems like forever since he saw her.

Hana watches Itachi's expression as he stares at his book. He reveals nothing as he continues to look over Kiyoko's information. The Inuzuka takes a look at the cover to discover that the book is about Itachi's old team. She doesn't understand why he needs to read about it since he should already know everything the book provides and probably even more than that.

Seeing as there's nothing else to do, Hana lays back and stares at Itachi until he acknowledges her. It'll probably take a while just like it did back then, but Hana has ways to speed up the process.

* * *

**I know this chapter was a bit weird. Or at least in my opinion it was. I had to put in some stuff to make it longer. I hope to keep up with my updates, but school is starting soon and I don't know how much free time I'll have.**


	14. Past Pain

**I wanted to add a bit of background information so this is mainly about Hayato's relationships with Itachi, Aiko, and Kiyoko. This idea has been plaguing my mind for a long time so I decided to put it in. I've also thrown in a twist or two to make the story interesting. I hope this chapter is okay.

* * *

**

**Past Pain**

A dripping wet figure enters his apartment. Hayato shakes his head and droplets of water fly everywhere. 'As if dinner wasn't bad enough, I had to get rained on as well,' he thinks to himself as he observes the living room. It's empty.

He closes the door to find a note stuck to it. The brunette picks it off the wood and reads it as he makes his way to his room to change into dry clothes.

"We went to the library. Itachi wants to see if he can dig up anything to help his case," Hayato reads blankly. Under his breath, he murmurs sarcastically "Right. That's what they're doing."

After he's finished, Hayato throws the paper away and goes back to the living room. Noticing the scroll Itachi wrote on, he picks it up and scans what it written. Placing it back on the table, Hayato sits in silence.

Being alone reminds him of the years after Itachi left, the years of increasing loneliness.

_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house  
That don't bother me  
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out  
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while  
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me  
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok  
But that's not what gets me_

Hayato listens to the rain hitting the roof. The patter of raindrops echoes through the empty house. It's a constant remainder of all the times he sat alone.

Before he has a chance to think about the past, Hayato grabs a book off the table. Although he prefers to not read, the ANBU member will do anything to prevent the pain of the past.

Unfortunately, the book came from the same pile Itachi had been looking through. The book Hayato's reading is about the Uchiha clan. Realizing this, he wants to put the book down, but something stops him and he continues to read instead.

What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was tryin' to do 

After flipping the pages a few times, a picture of the Sharingan greets the brunette's eyes. He freezes at the sight. Slowly, his mind transforms it into the Mangekyou Sharingan and he immediately snaps the book closed.

Hayato always thought he was extremely close to the eldest Uchiha during their youth. Closer than Itachi ever wanted. This thought was proved wrong the day Itachi left the village._  
_

Hayato had heard rumors about the massacre of the Uchiha clan and went to investigate. Blood covered corpses scattered the compound and weapons were everywhere. The sight of his friend's butchered family angered him and he pursued the murderer who was only a few miles outside Konoha when he found him. When he discovered Itachi in a clearing, he was surprised. He can remember their confrontation as if it was yesterday…

Flashback

"You're after the assassin too, huh?" Hayato called seeing his friend a few feet in front of him. Itachi's back is to him as he continues to walk.

Frustrated by Itachi ignoring him, Hayato runs after him. He stands before the Uchiha who stares at him impassively.

"What's wrong with you?! Why won't you talk to me?" Hayato was used to Itachi being silent, but the two had gotten to the point where the Uchiha would always make some remark when Hayato said something.

Itachi remains silent as he activates his Sharingan. The blood red eyes trigger something in Hayato's mind and the teen backs away. They're colder than usual and full of loathing.

"You're the one…" Hayato says quietly with wide eyes.

Hayato's shock leaves him open to attack which is a fatal mistake when battling any Uchiha, especially Itachi. The prodigy fought mercilessly and all Hayato could do was dodge.

It didn't take long until Hayato was lying on the ground, seriously wounded and Itachi was walking away. Seeing his friend turned enemy leaving him, Hayato is filled with rage and struggles to stand.

"I'm not letting you leave…" Hayato calls as he forces himself to rush at Itachi.

He throws a smoke bomb and then shuriken into the smoke. He hears them imbed into trees and knows they missed. Hayato tries to see through the smoke, but he can't make out anything.

A powerful chakra appears behind him and Hayato spins around to defend himself. He makes the mistake of looking into the other's eyes and is met with an unfamiliar sharingan. It's shaped like a kaleidoscope.

Before he can react, Hayato finds himself trapped in a red and black world. An eternity of torture passes and Hayato is finally released. He doesn't know it though. The Tsukuyomi has sent him into unconsciousness where he's plagued by nightmares of what occurred.

End Flashback

Hayato comes out of his thoughts by pain to one of his fingers. His thoughts had disturbed him so much that he had bitten finger by accident.

Releasing a sigh, Hayato picks up a different book. This one involves his old team. A small smile graces his features momentarily before he remembers how upset they were after his encounter with Itachi.

Since the Uchiha hadn't had much practice with the Tsukuyomi and had already used it on Sasuke, Hayato had woken up on his own the next day in the hospital. His sensei and Kiyoko were at his bedside.

_  
It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go  
But I'm doin' It  
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone  
Still Harder  
Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret  
But I know if I could do it over  
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart  
That I left unspoken_

Many people came to visit him during his time in the hospital. It hurt every time he saw their faces. They saw him as a fool for going up against the more powerful Uchiha. They often questioned why he did it and he'd reply that Itachi was his friend and he wouldn't let him leave. While some refused to touch on the topic, most would argue that the so called friend nearly killed him.

That point infected his mind during the remainder of his hospital stay and for years after. Hayato knew that he wasn't Itachi's best friend. He'd often seen him with Uchiha Shisui and knew Itachi saw him as an older brother. Although Hayato wasn't Itachi's best friend, Itachi was Hayato's and his behavior towards him would never be forgotten. Even now, the brunette isn't sure why he remained so loyal to him. He didn't take his position as ANBU captain and he acted so kindly when the sharingan user returned. He's even helping him in the upcoming trial.

The eldest Uchiha had put him through a lot. He inflicted injuries that made it difficult for Hayato to get up in the morning and get dressed. Everything was painful and the pain was a constant reminder of what Itachi had done.

The door to the apartment opens and Hayato looks up from the book about his teammates. The person he was just thinking about has entered with Hana and the Haimaru Triplets close behind.

The ANBU member gives a false smile like he's done so many times before. After Itachi's betrayal and the deaths of Aiko and Kiyoko, he would give the same smile to friends he encountered. He was alone and they felt sorry for him. That smile, no matter how fake it was, seemed to let everyone know he was okay, which was usually a lie.

Hayato had so many regrets. He regrets fighting Itachi instead of using words to convince him because then he might not have suffered so much pain and back-up might have come to his aid. He regrets watching his baby sister walk away to meet her team for her mission, the one she never returned alive from. He wishes he appreciated her more and told her how much he cared about her more often. Now that Aiko's gone, he'll never know how bright her future would've been. And Kiyoko…

What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do 

Itachi and Hana sit on the couch beside Hayato as he opens to a page about his and Itachi's deceased teammate. There's a picture of her with her shoulder length brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail. A few strands of hair frame her face which has a broad smile on it.

Kiyoko's smile had always been infectious, just like her personality. It's probably how Hayato acquired the same feature. Whenever he smiled, everyone else seemed to cheer up and feel happy. When he frowns, people recognize something's wrong and their moods become gloomy.

Hayato loved Kiyoko like an older sister. They had a unique relationship and strong bond.

What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do  


"So how was your date?" Hana asks. Although he's not paying much attention, Hayato can still catch the discontent in her voice.

"It wasn't the most pleasant experience," Hayato admits quietly. "Dinner was boring and we don't really have anything in common."

Hana and Itachi are surprised that he doesn't deny that he went on a date. They see it as a warning and observe him carefully. After a while, Itachi watches as a satisfied grin comes across Hana's face. Hayato's statement has given her hope that she can still get him and Sorami together.

"If you really think about it, there's no way going on a date to begin with made any sense for multiple reasons," the brunette adds, once again getting the attention of the other two. He laughs lightly as he says "I met her in a tea shop. I don't even like tea and she works there."

His soft chuckle makes Hana's smile increase. "There're other reasons, but the most important one is this…"

The silence that follows Hayato's statement makes even Itachi show his curiosity. He watches as Hayato reaches out for a picture on the table beside him. The brunette stares momentarily at the picture of his little sister before placing it on the book so he can see both Aiko and Kiyoko. Again he stares intently at the photos.

"My strongest bonds with women were with my own sister and Kiyoko. Now that they're gone, those bonds are broken and they can't be replaced. No matter how hard I try, no one will fill that void."

Itachi's expression shows understanding, but also a hint of confusion at where this conversation is going. Meanwhile, Hana grows increasingly worried with each word.

"So what are you saying?" the Inuzuka asks nervously.

Hayato carefully places his picture of Aiko back on the table then closes the book gently before putting in with the other books. He stands and faces Hana.

"Aiko and Kiyoko's deaths have damaged my behavior around women. It's not possible for me to get close to them. I'm saying, what's the point of trying to find someone? No one will ever become as close to me as those I've lost so why waste my time on dates," Hayato explains before walking out of the room.

_Not seeing that loving you  
That's what I was trying to do_

Hayato goes to his room and sits on his bed. He picks up the photo of his old team from his nightstand. Like always, Itachi's expression is impassive even with his teammates' antics. Kiyoko has Hayato in a headlock and Hayato doesn't look pleased. He's clearly struggling and attempting to glare at the grinning girl. Behind the three is their sensei.

Kiyoko acted like a big sister to both Hayato and Itachi. She would often tease them, but she made it clear that she cared for them both. Treating their injuries after training or during a mission even though she wasn't a medic nin was one of the ways she showed how much she cared. Also whenever the two got into fights and their sensei wasn't around, Kiyoko would end up breaking it up.

Hayato laughs and addresses the picture of Kiyoko as if she could hear him. "If only you were here. You'd be surprised that Itachi and I still get into stupid fights. Usually, he has Hana on his side though."

Hayato sees another picture from the corner of his eye. He looks up to discover it's the one with him, Itachi, Sorami, and Hana from their day together. His gaze fixes itself on a specific person with black hair and blue eyes.

"I wish you were here, Kiyoko. Then you could tell me what this feeling is…"

* * *

Hana stares at the space where Hayato was previously standing. Her plans are falling apart in front of her very eyes. Seeing her expression, Itachi gently grabs her chin and turns her face towards him. He's known her scheme for a while now and knows what's troubling her.

"He's an idiot," the Uchiha says blankly. "Give him a few days then continue on pushing him towards Sorami as normal. He'll open his eyes eventually."

Hana sighs and turns her face away. She closes her eyes then leans against her companion. "How can you be so sure?"

Itachi smirks and tilts her head to look at him again. "Do you really want to know?"

The Inuzuka gives a nod so the sharingan user replies "After years of denial, we're together. Hayato isn't like us. He'll realize how foolish he's being and figure out his feelings much sooner."

Hana smiles at Itachi's reassurance and gives him a quick kiss on the forehead before lying with her head in his lap. Itachi bends down to capture Hana's lips in a gentle kiss. Hana laughs against his mouth when her dogs start to whimper. She breaks the kiss and sits up. She gives the disappointed Uchiha a peck on the cheek before giving the Haimaru Triplets some attention.

* * *

**So, what did you think? I wanted to put in some complications which I think I've succeeded in doing in the last two chapters. Oh, the song I used was ****What Hurts the Most**** by Rascal Flatts.**


	15. Confrontation

**The past few days I've been taking semester finals. Other than the fact that the tests haven't been all that bad, I get to come home early!! That means I get more time to work on chapters.

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**

**Confrontation**

Two days have passed since Hayato's announcement and he still hasn't made enough progress in one Inuzuka's opinion. To help move the process along, Hana decides to recruit Itachi into making Hayato come to his senses. After a long period of persuasion, she finally convinces the stubborn man into assisting her.

Itachi glares at the wall of Hayato and his apartment as he waits for an opportunity to speak to his friend. The moment the brunette enters the room, the Uchiha turns his gaze towards him. Understanding that Itachi needs to talk to him, Hayato takes a seat on the couch.

"When did you become so pathetic?" Itachi ask bluntly.

A look of fury crosses Hayato's face. "I'm anything, but weak, you bastard. I've become one of the strongest shinobi in this village!"

The Uchiha regards him calmly and says "I never said you were a weak ninja."

The ANBU member shows his confusion and before he can comment, Itachi continues. "I meant you're a pathetic excuse of a man."

The insult causes Hayato's hand to move to where his shuriken holster would be. When he finds that he isn't wearing it, his frustration grows. Itachi notices the action and raises an eyebrow.

"Maybe you are a pathetic ninja after all."

Hayato stands and his face is contorted in anger. Realizing there's nothing he can do against the Uchiha, Hayato settles for turning and walking away. Before he walks more than two steps, he's suddenly stopped.

Itachi knows he's being harsh, but Hayato needs to hear this. He can't leave so Itachi had to use a powerful paralysis jutsu on his companion. Making him return to his spot on the couch, Itachi and Hayato face off in a glaring contest.

Hayato looks just about ready to kill the Uchiha and his rage increases with every second he's restrained. He expects more insults to be thrown his way, but is surprised when Itachi addresses him softly. Or as soft as the Uchiha can.

"Hayato." There's no response, but Itachi continues anyway. "You kept pushing me and Hana together. Why is that?"

The question catches the brunette off guard. He warily replies "It was so obvious that you belong together. I wanted to make you guys happy."

"Why would you care if I'm happy, especially after what I did to you and this village?"

There's silence as Hayato considers his reasons. Why did he accept him back exactly? The ANBU member's eyes lower to the floor as he responds.

"After you left, my world changed. I was already on my own for the most part. One by one, everyone in my life that meant something to me disappeared. Nothing from my past seemed to exist anymore."

He pauses for a moment to try to put his thoughts and feelings into words. "When you came back, it was like a piece of my past came back. You brought back old bonds and helped ease the pain of all that I've lost."

The Uchiha stares at the man. He's still waiting for that bit of information that will let him open his friend's eyes.

"Don't tell me I'm not a man or ninja," Hayato snarls. "I've trained to become the best I could. I wanted to make you pay for leaving and betraying Konoha. I wanted to be the one who opened your eyes and brought you back. When I found out you returned, I was angry at first, but then I heard why you killed your clan. I was relieved and wanted nothing more than to set you down the right path again."

"Why?" Itachi presses.

"You're my friend."

There it is. "You wanted to help me because I'm your friend. I'm trying to do the same to you."

Hayato opens his mouth to speak, but Itachi cuts him off. "You have gotten stronger, but you're no man. You say it's impossible to bond with women because of how close you were to Aiko and Kiyoko, but is that the truth? Can you really not get close to anyone or do you not want to?"

Itachi studies Hayato's face for any signs that what he said it true. The ninja's expression is blank so Itachi presses on.

"You don't want to betray your bond with your sister and our teammate so you don't even put any effort into forming new ones. You don't want to lose anyone else. You could've found someone by now, but you were to busy pushing them away to make sure you didn't get hurt again."

Itachi stands and looks down at Hayato who avoids meeting his eyes. "If you give up that easily without even trying, you're not a real man. You shouldn't even call yourself ANBU."

With that the Uchiha goes to his room while the stinging words play over and over again in Hayato's head. Now that the jutsu has been released, he drops his head into his hands.

"Damn it."

Itachi is lying on his bed when he hears soft footsteps near his closed door. They stop in front of his room and a knock is heard.

"What?"

The door opens a crack and Hayato pokes his head in. It reminds the Uchiha of the times Sasuke would do the same thing when he had a bad dream or wanted to go train.

Hayato stands in the doorway as he rubs the back of his head awkwardly. Itachi gives him a nod in acknowledgement and the brunette takes a few steps forward.

When he reaches Itachi's bedside, he reaches up to his headband. He carefully unties it and his brown hair falls in front of his eyes. He stares at the object for a moment. The sharingan user watches him from the corner of his eye.

"Here," Hayato says as he holds the forehead protector out to his friend. "I realized that you're right. I don't feel like I deserve this headband. If anything, you do. You're more of a man and ninja than I am."

A flicker of surprise crosses Itachi's features at the gesture. Hayato offers a small smile in encouragement. Noticing his friend is still holding out the headband, Itachi shakes his head.

"I can't accept that."

Hayato gives a chuckle and says "At least hold onto it until you deem me worth of it."

"…Aa."

The brunette gently places his headband on the nightstand before exiting the room. Itachi stares at the ceiling for a while before sitting up and turning to the forehead protector. If Hayato was willing to give it up for a while, he really made progress. Hana definitely owed him big of this.

Itachi smirks to himself before lying back down. He has a few ideas in mind of how the Inuzuka could repay him.

The Uchiha closes his eyes and relaxes. He'd do this whenever he got a chance to back when he was still a leaf shinobi. Before the massacre.

The image of Sasuke entering his room crosses his mind. His little brother would always disturb these moments. Sasuke would look up to him when he was younger, but now he hated him. Would they ever be able to tolerate each other again?

It's been a while since the Uchiha's seen his younger brother. Their paths haven't crossed much since the older of the two returned. Is it possible that Kakashi and Hayato are making sure they remain separated for a while?

Deciding not to think about this right now, Itachi turns over and tries to get some sleep.

* * *

**Yeah, I know it's short. I couldn't write anymore to this, but I'll try to post the new chapter soon.**


	16. Slow Progress

**Slow Progress**

Hayato stares up at the sky from his spot on the roof. Tsunade had given his a day off from supervising Itachi. He has a strong feeling Shizune had something to do with it. His cousin's fiancé seemed to be worried about his health due to the stress of Itachi's trial. He'd have to thank her later for persuading the Hokage.

The sun is beating down making the early hours hot. It's obvious that as the day goes on, the temperature will continue to rise.

Hayato brings his hand up to wipe the sweat from his brow. A frown appears on his face when his fingers don't brush his forehead protector. After giving it to the Uchiha for safekeeping yesterday, he feels so exposed without it.

The brunette sighs and rests his head in his hands. It sure is boring not having to watch Itachi all day. Looking down at the streets, Hayato's eyes lazily scan the village's inhabitants as they go off to work. They stop on one individual and the corner of his mouth turns upward.

* * *

Sorami sighs as she sits in a restaurant. She had to work so late last night that she had to skip dinner and now she's starving. To make matters worse, it's going to be a hot day. The medic nin rests her head on the cool table to find relief from the heat.

"Warm, hm?" someone whispers in her ear. Their breath is hot and doesn't help Sorami much.

Her head snaps up and Hayato chuckles. She looks at him strangely and his laughter fades away. There's something different about him, but Sorami can't put her finger on what. Suddenly, she's hit with a realization.

"What happened to your headband?"

"It's a long story and from the look of things, you don't have a lot of time because you have to work at the hospital today," he comments as he takes notice of her uniform. The darn thing only adds to her discomfort in this weather.

As he slides into the seat across from her, Hayato adds with a smile "Besides, I wouldn't want to bore you with the details."

The medic nin gives a small laugh and Hayato grins at her. She watches as he leans back and stretches. One of the short sleeves of his t-shirt slips down due to the movement and reveals his ANBU tattoo.

Hana had told her how great of a shinobi Hayato is. She smiles as she rests her head on the table again. It's good that he can be serious and laidback depending of the situation.

"Sorami?"

Said woman looks up at the brunette. He gives her a puzzled expression as he says "Aren't you doing to eat that?"

Sorami feels her face grow a tad warmer. She hadn't even noticed that the food arrived. Hayato is able to distract her so easily. She smiles in embarrassment and pulls her breakfast closer.

Unknown to the two friends was the fact that they're being watched. A certain Inuzuka observes the two from a rooftop across the street.

"This is stupid," Itachi murmurs as he stands beside a crouching Hana.

"Whatever," Hana replies. "When you spoke with him, did you mention that someone likes him?"

"No."

Hana throws a glare in her boyfriend's direction. "Why not?! Now it'll take a while until he figures out that Sorami likes him!"

The Uchiha ignores her irritation as he continues to watch his friend. "If I told Hayato, he'd read into everything. Any gesture from a woman could give him the wrong idea. It's best if he figures it out himself," he explains.

Hana turns her attention back to the couple sitting in the restaurant. "I guess you're right," she reluctantly admits. "He does seem to be making progress."

Itachi moves directly behind the Inuzuka and pulls her up into him. He rests his head on her shoulder and says "You owe me for my services."

A shiver shoots down Hana's back as the sharingan user boldly licks her neck. "And what did you have in mind?" she asks knowingly.

She feels him shrug as he nuzzles her neck. Hana rolls her eyes as his antics. She turns in his arms and gives him a peck on the lips.

"I have a few ideas," she states with a smirk.

The Uchiha returns the smirk before releasing her. He jumps down from the roof and Hana follows him. When she realizes they're going towards the restaurant, Hana tries to stop him. Itachi ignores her and walks up to Hayato and Sorami.

"Hana and I won't be able to make it to lunch today," Itachi states bluntly to Hayato.

Hayato nods but his expression is a puzzled one. Itachi turns and nearly drags a stunned Inuzuka out of the restaurant.

"What the hell Itachi?! Where are you taking me?" Hana says.

The Uchiha smirks at her and replies "We're going to your place."

Hayato chuckles as he watches Itachi and Hana leave before turning back to Sorami. "If you're done, I'll walk you to the hospital," he offers.

"You don't need to do that," she says shyly.

Again, Hayato chuckles. "I know I don't need to, but I want to. Since Itachi and Hana are going to be spending alone time together, I'd rather not go home yet. I don't have anything else to do anyway." **(AN: He doesn't know Itachi and Hana are going to her place.)**

The two head off in the direction of the hospital. They're quiet for the most part until Hayato says "How's the training coming along?"

Confusion is shown on Sorami's face at the question. Since his eyes are closed, Hayato takes the silence as a clue that she doesn't understand.

"You never came back for another lesson after that one time. I was looking forward to it. Itachi and Hana wouldn't get the opportunity to cause me bodily harm." His tone changes into one of mock anger. "I'm disappointed in you for not showing up. Are you avoiding me?"

Sorami bites her lip as she fights a losing battle to keep the blush off her face. Fortunately for her, Hayato doesn't take notice due to the fact that his eyes are still closed.

"I've been busy at the hospital," she explains. The answer is good enough for the ANBU member and they continue their walk.

It doesn't take long until they arrive at their destination. Sorami is surprised when Hayato enters the building behind her. She gives him a questioning look and he rubs the back of his head as he smiles.

"I might as well visit some comrades while I'm here," he reasons.

He watches as Sorami starts walking away. 'What the hell is this feeling?' Hayato inwardly wonders.

"Hayato!"

The brunette's eyes widen. 'You've got to be kidding?!'

Forcing a smile, he turns in the direction of the voice. "Hey Yuna."

The woman begins talking about how great of a time she had the other night. Every so often, Hayato nods his head during her rambling.

When he senses someone's gaze on him, he glances around discreetly. The fake smile on his face is replaced with a small frown when he sees Sorami in the distance. Her face almost seems sad as she watches Yuna talk to him.

Hayato sighs when Sorami turns around and goes to check on her patients. He faces Yuna again. The moment she stops for a breath, he says "Well, I need to go check on a few friends so I'd better go."

When he turns away, Itachi's words ring through his head. 'I hope Itachi will understand that I can't put effort into a relationship with her. Having a simple conversation is difficult with Yuna unlike Sorami. Talking to her is so easy and I actually enjoy being around her.'

Hayato visits a couple of his fellow ANBU members before suddenly stopping in front of a door. His eyebrows knit together in confusion. 'I didn't know he was here…' Opening the door a crack, the brunette pokes his head in.

"Just give me my senbon, Shizune."

Genma reaches for his senbon as Shizune uses her free arm to attempt to keep him on the bed. Hayato laughs at the scene which draws their attention. Genma glares at him then goes back to try to get his weapon.

"Well, I have other patients to check on so I should leave," Shizune says as she escapes from her fiancé. When she passes Hayato, she whispers "Make sure he doesn't get out of that bed."

Hayato nods and she exits the room. He grins at his cousin as he takes a seat by his bedside.

"Shut up," the special jounin growls.

Hayato continues to beam at him as he replies "I haven't said anything."

Genma watches Hayato as he leans back in his chair. The ANBU member's eyes close as he reaches into his holster. He smirks as he brings out one of his weapons.

"There's more than one senbon in the world," Hayato says as he turns the metal between his fingers.

Genma smirks and catches the senbon when his cousin tosses it to him. Placing it in his mouth, he chuckles to himself. "I'm definitely making sure Shizune doesn't see this."

The relatives continue to spend some time together until Shizune returns and sends Hayato away. Apparently, Genma needs his rest. Hayato laughs at the thought. Still, he doesn't argue and obeys the order. He's not one to anger the Godaime or either of her apprentices.

As much as he hates going back out into the heat, Hayato makes his way through the village. He also makes conversation with those who stop him. It's good to not be on a mission every so often. Although he's pleased when he receives a new mission, breaks are always welcome.

Hayato watches as a woman he had just been talking with leaves. He wasn't intentionally searching for people he could form ties with, but no one he spoke with ended up being someone he'd go out of his way to see.

Looking up at the sky, the brunette notices it's getting late. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he lets his feet guide him. He stares at the ground as he walks and eventually he comes to a stop.

"Hayato?"

The voice draws his attention and he lifts his head. His face grows a little red when he finds himself in front of the hospital again. A cool hand on his cheek snaps him out of his shock.

"Are you alright, Hayato? You're face is really warm," Sorami says as she feels how warm he is.

"I-I'm fine. I've been in the sun most of the day, that's all."

Sorami nods and removes her hand. She looks at him questioningly and asks "So why are you here?"

Hayato appears puzzled as he replies "I'm not quite sure to be honest."

The woman giggles at his expression. This causes him to almost immediately cheer up and say "But since your shift is over, I'll walk you home."

The two walk for a while until the ANBU member asks "Did I do anything stupid the other night? You know, when I was drunk?"

The thought had been plaguing him for a while now. When asked, no one would have a response, but Hayato is positive Sorami will tell him the truth.

"You sang 'Why Don't You and I.'"

Again, Hayato goes a little red. He's relieved all at the same time though. "That's not so bad."

"You also threw up on Itachi."

Hayato winces. "I'm surprised he didn't kill me."

"Before you threw up on him though, you told him you loved him then kissed him. I think I saw some tongue."

Hayato stops walking and pales. He feels like he's about to pass out, possibly even vomit. That has to be the worst possible thing he could've done while he was drunk. He sees Sorami ahead and her shoulders are shaking as she laughs. Realizing it's a joke, the brunette chases after her with her laughing the entire time.

* * *

Itachi smirks to himself as he walks beside Hana. They're currently walking the Haimaru Triplets. The three weren't very pleased that they're master hadn't left her room after she returned home. They had a certain Uchiha to thank for that.

The group stops for a while and Hana whispers to her dogs. Suddenly, Itachi sneezes. He looks down at the Inuzuka and asks "Are you talking to them about me?"

She rolls her eyes and mumbles "Someone's self-centered."

Itachi ignores the comment as he watches the citizens of Konoha pass by. When he sees Sorami sprint passed, he raises an eyebrow. Close behind her is Hayato.

The medic nin glances over her shoulder to see how near Hayato is. He's there for a moment then he suddenly flickers out of sight. Before she can react properly, Sorami collides into something. Arms wrap around her to steady her as well as keep her from fleeing.

"Got ya," she hears Hayato whisper.

Her face feels as if it's on fire. Suddenly, Sorami feels Hayato tense and looks up at him. His eyes are looking somewhere behind them. She watches as he gives a weird smile and says "Hey Itachi, Hana."

His arms fall to his sides and he avoids looking at her. The dark-haired woman looks in the direction of their friends. Itachi is wearing his famous smirk and Hana is beaming at them.

Hayato sighs and says "I better go see what they want. You should go home, but you're definitely going to owe me for letting to get away."

Sorami nods and he leaves.

"Oi, what do you want?" Under his breath, Hayato adds "I'm going to tear that bastard apart if he starts taunting me."

Sorami watches Hayato meet Itachi and Hana. Itachi reaches into his pocket and pulls something out.

"Here." Hayato, Sorami, and Hana stare at the headband in confusion.

Hayato is the first to speak. "But I haven't really done anything yet."

"You've had enough of a break through and are putting in some effort. Besides, Hokage-sama won't be happy if she saw you without it."

The ANBU member grins and gladly ties the headband around his head. Sorami catches the Inuzuka's eye and she feels herself blushing again. Hana is grinning knowingly at her as she gives the medic a thumbs-up.


	17. The Mistake of Teasing

**In my opinion, this chapter isn't as good as when I first thought of it. I've been suffering writers block lately, but really needed to get this chapter out of the way. I hope it isn't too bad.

* * *

**

**The Mistake of Teasing**

It's another scorching day, but not nearly as hot as the previous day. Hayato and Itachi are walking through the nearly empty streets on their way to Taro's bar. Taro had sent them to Ichiraku's earlier to help deliver ramen to customers.

They're thankful to escape the heat as they enter the bar. Immediately, Taro puts them to work. They're silent as they complete their assigned tasks.

Suddenly, Hayato feels Hana's chakra approaching. He senses another chakra with her and recognizes it as her brother, Kiba. The siblings and their canine companions were spending the day together.

A mischievous grin spread across Hayato's face as he realizes he still hasn't gotten revenge for a certain Uchiha and Inuzuka disturbed his sleep a few nights ago, as well as many other things. There's no way the ANBU member would let this opportunity just pass by.

Hayato scrambles to the stage as Itachi focuses on ignoring him. The music starts and outside, Hana catches the first few words. Curiosity gets the better of her and Hana enters the bar with an annoyed Kiba close behind.

_I, I'm driving black on black  
Just got my license back  
I got this feeling in my veins this train is coming off the track  
I'll ask polite if the devil needs a ride  
Because the angel on my right ain't hanging out with me tonight  
I'm driving past your house while you were sneaking out  
I got the car door opened up so you can jump in on the run  
Your mom don't know that you were missing  
She'd be pissed if she could see the parts of you that I've been kissing  
Screamin'_

'Yeah, Mom would definitely be pissed if she found out,' Hana thinks to herself.

A blush reaches her tattooed cheeks as she thinks of all she's done with Itachi. Beside her, Kiba becomes increasingly confused by his older sister's behavior. His sister is never one to blush. She's always been fierce and strong.

Immediately, the young Inuzuka begins scanning the bar for the source of his sister's reddening face. His sharp eyes catch Hayato's mischievous grin and he glares at the singing brunette.

No, we're never gonna quit  
Ain't nothing wrong with it  
Just acting like we're animals  
No, no matter where we go  
'Cause everybody knows  
We're just a couple of animals

So come on baby, get in  
Get in, just get in  
Check out the trouble we're in 

Hayato spots Hana in the audience and begins to feel nervous when he sees her fuming expression. Reluctantly, he looks over at Itachi to meet a death glare.

'Oh great, now they're going to kill me. I've really started to slack off on the whole process of thinking plans through since I haven't been given missions for a while,' Hayato inwardly says.

You're beside me on the seat  
Got your hand between my knees  
And you control how fast we go by just how hard you wanna squeeze  
It's hard to steer when you're breathing in my ear  
But I got both hands on the wheel while you got both hands on my gears  
By now, no doubt that we were heading south  
I guess nobody ever taught her not to speak with a full mouth  
'Cause this was it, like flicking on a switch  
It felt so good I almost drove into the ditch  
I'm screamin' 

Kiba becomes confused once more when he sees Hana's gaze flicker in Itachi's direction. The eldest Uchiha's eyes are blood red. He had unconsciously activated his sharingan. The man closes his eyes and inhales deeply. When he opens his eyes, Itachi reveals his obsidian orbs once more.

No, we're never gonna quit  
Ain't nothing wrong with it  
Just acting like we're animals  
No, no matter where we go  
'Cause everybody knows  
We're just a couple of animals 

_  
So come on baby, get in  
Get in, just get in  
Look at the trouble we're in_

The whining of the Haimaru Triplets, who were left outside with Akamaru, can be heard. They're just as uncomfortable as their mistress.

_  
We were parked out by the tracks  
We're sitting in the back  
And we just started getting busy  
When she whispered "what was that?"  
The wind, I think 'cause no one else knows where we are  
And that was when she started screamin'  
"That's my dad outside the car!"  
Oh please, the keys, they're not in the ignition  
Must have wound up on the floor while  
we were switching our positions  
I guess they knew that she was missing  
As I tried to tell her dad it was her mouth that I was kissing  
Screamin'_

By now, Hana can't hold back any longer. From the corner of his eye, Itachi notices her approaching the stage and Hayato. Meanwhile, Hayato is beginning to feel a bit panicky. He may have just ordered his own death with this idea.

Due to his nervousness, Hayato practically shouts the next word. Whether or not it was actually a cry to make Hana stop is unknown to the witnesses.

No, we're never gonna quit  
Ain't nothing wrong with it  
Just acting like we're animals  
No, no matter where we go  
'Cause everybody knows  
We're just a couple of animals 

_  
So come on baby, get in  
We're just a couple of animals  
Get in, just get in  
Ain't nothing wrong with it  
Check out the trouble we're in  
Get in, just get in_

Hayato is just able to finish the song when the angry Inuzuka storms onto the stage. Making his smartest decision of the day, Hayato flees the bar. Unfortunately, he is stopped outside by Itachi who had been waiting for him.

Hand signs are made so rapidly, Hayato can't process them. Again, his only option is to dodge. Hana arrives on the scene and comes after him as well.

"Come on, it was just a joke!" Hayato pleads.

The brunette finds salvation when someone interrupts the fight.

"Hana."

The word isn't loud, but it's enough to make the Inuzuka freeze. Hana turns to her brother. Over the years, Kiba has grown in more ways than one. He's not only matured, but he's become more aware of his surroundings.

It is obvious what's going on here. His sister's behavior has opened his eyes to the situation. Also, the familiar scent that appears on Hinata whenever she's around Naruto can be smelt on Hana now. Kiba also knows that is isn't Tsuki Hayato who is the cause.

"Why didn't you tell me you were with the Uchiha?!" Kiba is angry and he speaks Itachi's name with disgust. "I understand why you wouldn't want to tell Mother, but why would you keep this from me?"

"Kiba, I…" Hana trails off before she approaches her brother.

"He's a traitor who doesn't know the meaning of the word loyalty. The Inuzuka clan is driven by loyalty. He never should've been allowed back in Konoha to begin with," Kiba continues.

Hana's eyes narrow. "Itachi is not a traitor. Don't judge him for past mistakes. You don't know the reasons behind his actions or why he's been admitted into Konoha again."

Her defending of the Uchiha surprises Kiba and he glances over at the man. He's further surprised when he sees the hurt on Itachi's face. Hayato places a hand on his friend's shoulder and murmurs an apology for his actions before looking over at the younger Inuzuka.

"Itachi isn't really a bad guy. He regrets what he did and although he doesn't want to admit it, he wants to be accepted by the village again. He wants to prove his loyalty more than anything. Maybe associating with the Inuzuka clan will help teach him what true loyalty is."

Hana places a hand on Kiba's shoulder. "Please trust my judgment, Kiba. I know what I'm doing."

The younger of the siblings sighs before a smile creeps across his face. "Alright Nee-chan. I trust you. If the Uchiha-I mean Itachi means so much to you, I'll give him a chance."

"Thank you."

Kiba's smile becomes a grin. "You do realize you still have to talk to Mom about this, right?"

Hana stiffens and Kiba laughs at her. "Don't worry. I'll be there to give you support, Nee-chan."

Relieve fills Hana as she says "Thanks again, otouto."

Hayato grins and says "Well, now that that's settled…what?"

Hayato looks at Itachi in confusion as the Uchiha smirks at him. The sharingan user activates the eyes he's well known for and makes hand signs.

"I already apologized!" Hayato says as he backs away.

Several shadow clones of the Uchiha appear. Realizing he'll need all the speed he has, Hayato reaches down to his ankle weights. Several kunai fly at him just as he takes off the first one. The brunette jumps away and quickly removes the other.

Hayato fights off the clones that come at him and the second there's a break, he summons a few of his falcons. They hold back Itachi's clones while the ANBU member prepares to execute a powerful paralysis jutsu on the real Itachi.

The clones disappear in a puff of smoke and only one remains. Hayato performs the jutsu then appears beside the Uchiha in a flash. He uses a chakra absorbing technique but is surprised to see the sharingan user smirking.

Hayato spots a hidden clone from the corner of his eye. He moves away from the real Itachi and the clone explodes. Kunai and shuriken fly at him and he doesn't have the ability to dodge some of them.

Next, fire comes towards him from out of the smoke from the explosion. Hayato is able to get away before Itachi sends a huge fireball his way. The jutsu burns his shoulder slightly and when the smoke clears Hayato is left panting while Itachi continues to smirk.

"That's enough," the Uchiha states calmly before turning to Hana. "Now I can see your mother."

"What?!" Hayato shouts.

Itachi merely shrugs and says "I figured I'd appear a little less threatening with my chakra drained."

"Well, you could've just told me and we wouldn't have needed to spar!"

"I suppose I could have, but where would the fun in that be. Besides, it was payback for singing that song."

"You kept me up until freaking three in the morning!" Hayato yells and starts to over exaggerate. "I have nightmares now because of you two. I wasn't exactly thrilled that I could hear you guys having-"

"Too much information," Kiba interrupts with his hands over his ears.

Hayato grumbles under his breath before storming off.

"Anyway, I guess we should go speak with Mom now, huh?" Hana murmurs.

Although the three aren't all to thrilled with the idea, they make their way towards the Inuzuka district.

* * *

**Just so you know I'll most likely use the family titles more often. It'll usually be used to show affection or when the characters tease one another.**


	18. Meeting that won't be Forgotten

**Hello, Snow Day! What is up with this weather? More importantly, what's up with my school? They never give us snow days and there were two this past week. The only thing that can make this day better is a snow blower. I am **_**not**_** shoveling!**

**I forgot to mention that the song in the last chapter was 'Animals' by Nickelback. Do I really need to say that I don't own it? Isn't it obvious that I don't own squat? Zilch, nada, nothing I tell you!

* * *

**

**Meeting That Won't Be Forgotten**

Hana stands before the door to the Inuzuka household with Kiba and the dogs beside her. Itachi is close behind them. He figured it'd be best if Tsume saw her children before her senses picked up his presence.

Hana reluctantly reaches out and knocks on the door. It opens soon after to reveal the leader of the Inuzuka clan and her ever faithful companion, Kuromaru. Surprise briefly appears on the woman's face at the sight of her children, but she quickly recovers and greets them warmly.

Tsume's nose twitches when another scent floods her senses and Kuromaru growls lowly. Before she can demand an explanation, Kiba cheerfully returns his mother's greeting and pulls her inside the house.

Hana sighs and leads Itachi into the house. They enter the living room to find Tsume sitting on one couch while Kiba tells her the details of his day with his older sister. He's leading up to the explanation of why they're all here and it's at that point that Hana must take over the conversation.

On the floor, Kuromaru's good eye never leaves Itachi's form as he watches the Uchiha sit beside Hana on the couch and across from his master. Itachi may have drained his chakra, but he's still seen as a threat. The man has a reputation for being dangerous.

Their instincts to protect their mistress never fading, the Haimaru Triplets take their positions near Hana. The eldest, Daichi, takes his place in front of Hana and carefully watches the possible threat that is Kuromaru. The youngest and more daring Takeo sits next to Daichi and bares his sharp canines whenever Tsume or Kuromaru's gaze lingers on his mistress too long. The remaining grey dog, Hiro, situates himself at Itachi's feet instead of Hana's like his brothers. Hiro lays across the man's feet in a friendly gesture.

"Kiba," Tsume says in a tone that demands obedience. "Take Akamaru and leave so I can speak with Hana."

Kiba stands and shoots his sister an apologetic look. He wishes he could do more, but he won't go against his mother's orders. At least, not about this. It would only make things worse.

Once Kiba and Akamaru have left the room, Tsume turns her attention to the two across from her.

"Get out Uchiha. You have no place in this discussion."

"No place?! This concerns him!" Hana argues.

"Hana," Itachi says softly to get her attention.

The woman goes quiet and looks at the Uchiha. He gives her a look and Hana takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. Tsume watches the exchange and is curious as to how Itachi can affect her daughter so much. Each member of the Inuzuka clan has a fierce attitude and refuses to take orders from those outside the clan with the exception of the Hokage.

Itachi turns to Tsume and bows his head in respect. "My apologies," he states calmly. "I understand your wishes Inuzuka-san, but I can't leave. You see, I must be in the company of Tsuki Hayato or your daughter at all times. Since Hayato isn't here, I must remain with Hana."

This news does nothing to please Tsume. The prodigy may be polite, but that doesn't make her trust him more. The clan leader's glare intensifies.

"And why do you need to be supervised?" she presses.

"Hokage-sama thought it would be best if someone watched over me in order to ensure that my behavior isn't threatening to the village. Currently, the only one who's been hurt is Hayato, but that was justified." The Uchiha gives a small smirk at the last comment.

In what anyone else would consider a bold move, Itachi meets Tsume's cold glare. His smirk becomes a small smile in hopes of easing the tension in the room.

"You are an S-class criminal, Uchiha," Tsume says coldly. "You're a member of the Akatsuki and I refuse to accept whatever excuse you've given Hokage-sama."

At her feet, Kuromaru makes a sound of agreement. Once more, Hana's blood boils. "You have no idea why he did those things! He couldn't control himself and has seen the error of his ways. Did you consider that he isn't part of the Akatsuki anymore? Itachi is on our side."

"Is that what he told you? I'm sorry to say this Hana, but I thought you were smarter than that. I always knew you had a soft spot for the Uchiha, but I didn't know it ran so deep that you'd become so naïve," Tsume states.

Before Hana can retort Tsume continues and gestures to Itachi with her head. "He's lied before so what makes you think he isn't lying now."

After the insult, the room falls silent. Hana's mouth hangs open as she struggles to come up with a response. She does all she can to ignore the remark, but she finds herself beginning to question Itachi's sincerity.

Beside her, the words play through the sharingan user's head like a broken record. Itachi never once believed he'd be accepted back by everyone, but it still hurts to see just how much some people hate him.

Itachi glances over at Hana and the woman turns to look at him. Hana studies his eyes carefully in hopes of finding the truth. As she does this, Itachi's heart aches at the realization that the Inuzuka is no longer sure that she can trust him.

Tsume watches as the two seem to have a conversation through their eyes. Itachi's gaze never leaves Hana's as he says "I have no intention to betray Konoha."

The sharingan user tears his eyes from the Inuzuka's to face her mother. "And I will give my life before I let anything threaten it or anyone in it."

"You can question him all you want, Mom, but I know Itachi is being honest," Hana adds as she too faces Tsume.

Hana's defending of the Uchiha surprises Tsume just as it did Kiba earlier. The barks of agreement from the Haimaru Triplets tell her that nothing she says will change her daughter's mind either.

"I see," the Inuzuka replies. She thinks for a moment before saying "Hana, leave for a moment. I'd like to speak with the Uchiha alone."

Kuromaru twists his head to glance at his master. The order has caught the other occupants in the room off guard and a confused expression graces Hana's features while Itachi remains impassive. Daichi and Takeo look back at their mistress while at Itachi's feet, Hiro lifts his head.

Coming to her senses, Hana reaches out and taps Hiro's head as a signal to remain with Itachi before reluctantly leaving the room followed by Daichi and Takeo. She opens the door to the kitchen and Kiba, who was listening at the door, stumbles forward.

Her brother smiles sheepishly as he rubs the back of his head. "Sorry, Nee-chan. I couldn't resist."

All Hana does is roll her eyes as she closes the door behind her. She sits in a chair and pets the heads of her dogs as she attempts to listen to the conversation in the other room. Meanwhile, Kiba cracks the door open a bit to peek into the room. He suddenly closes the door and a second later, a thud is heard as a shuriken becomes imbedded in the wooden door.

"Jeez, Mom is really not happy," Kiba grumbles as he takes a seat across from his sister. Hana looks up at him and he holds his hands up defensively. "But I'm sure everything's going just fine."

Again, Hana rolls her eyes at the comment.

In the other room, Tsume and Itachi are just staring at one another as they wait for the other to speak. Hiro moves from his previous position so he is now sitting upright with his head on Itachi's knee.

The action causes Itachi to turn his attention to the dog. Tsume studies the man as he gently pets Hiro's head. The Inuzuka is pulled from her thoughts by Itachi's voice.

"I understand why you don't trust me," he murmurs. Itachi turns his gaze back to Tsume. "I know how sharp your senses are, Inuzuka-san. If I was being insincere, you would've caught me. You would've smelled a lie the moment it left my lips."

Tsume knows that the man is right. Not once during their conversation had she sensed any danger. Her mind and body were prepared for something that wasn't there.

Eventually, the Inuzuka's clan leader releases a sigh. "I will consider your words, Uchiha and I'll be watching you closely. The moment you slip up, Kuromaru and I will tear you apart. Is that understood?"

Itachi respectfully bows his head again. "Of course. Although, I'm sure Hana and the Haimaru Triplets would've taken care of it already. Still, you needed not worry. I won't betray this village."

Tsume stares at the man across from her. Hiro nudges Itachi's hand and the Uchiha goes back to petting his head. Tsume notices a small smile has crept onto Itachi's face.

"Hiro has taken to you quite well. His brothers as well. Why is that?"

Itachi looks up at the woman and considers the reason. He must be careful with his words so he doesn't upset Tsume. "I suppose it's because Hana is comfortable around me and they can feel it. I've been around them lately so…"

Itachi's sentence fades since he doesn't know what else to say. Again, a question plagues Tsume's mind and she hesitates to ask it.

"Why does Hana care for you so much?" She already knows the answer, but she needs to hear it directly.

Itachi's gaze briefly shifts to look at the kitchen door. Although he isn't comfortable talking about it with Hana's mother, Itachi knows he must. "We're very close. I'm sure you've heard about Tsuki Hayato's plan because of his big mouth."

"I see," the woman says quietly. "How serious are you two?"

Itachi gives a quiet chuckle. "No matter what I answer, you probably won't like it."

Again, Itachi doesn't directly answer Tsume's question, but she's still able to understand. The woman considers this information before sighing.

"Since it's so serious, I suppose Hana would continue to see you even if I forbid it. Therefore, we need to discuss some things."

Itachi nods in understanding and Tsume continues. "Although I'm not all that happy about it, you two are close. Should you marry, it would cause some problems."

Although the situation has become awkward rather quickly, Itachi inwardly smirks when Tsume has trouble saying 'marry.'

Suddenly the door bursts open and a red faced Hana appears. "Sorry to interrupt, but I just remembered that Itachi and I are supposed to meet Hayato," Hana rushes as she grabs hold of Itachi's arm and pulls him off the couch.

Itachi smirks at Hana's expression. "Sorry Inuzuka-san, but Hana's right. Besides, Hana really should be involved with this discussion so we should continue this later."

Hana laughs nervously as she proceeds to drag Itachi out of the house. She yells a good-bye while Itachi politely says his farewell. After saying their farewells, Itachi turns to Hana and raises an eyebrow.

"I hate you," Hana growls lowly. "Why would you want to discuss marriage with my mother?!"

Itachi comes to a stop making Hana jerk back. Itachi's smirk has returned as he holds her face to look at him. Hana looks at him curiously as Itachi starts moving closer.

As he leans in, Itachi says "Because it's a topic we need to consider."

With that said, Itachi claims her lips in a tender kiss.

"Holy crap!!!"

Hana's eyes go wide and she quickly pushes Itachi away. She turns back in the direction of the house to see a wide-eyed Kiba. Unfortunately, Kiba wasn't the only one who witnessed the kiss. From Tsume's shocked expression, it's safe to say she saw the whole thing as well.

Hana forces a smile and waves sheepishly at her mom and brother. She's definitely dreading her next conversation with her mother.

* * *

**Alright, I thought I'd share this. My teachers are making me take practice tests for the ACT. My math teacher gave me eight packets to do. They were only about 15 questions, but this is what gets me. The tests were on things like geometry, pre-algebra, and basic algebra. I'm in **_**Pre-Calc Honors**_**!!! Taking these is an insult to my intelligence! Alright, I'm done venting.**


	19. You're Still Angry?

**You're **_**Still**_** Angry?**

Hana glares at the back of Itachi's head as he walks a few steps in front of her. After Itachi's little display, the two were just able to escape the Inuzuka compound before Tsume dragged them into another uncomfortable conversation.

Itachi peers over his shoulder. The smug smirk that plays on his face further irritates the still embarrassed Inuzuka.

"I hate you," she growls. Itachi raises an eyebrow at her comment before turning forward again.

"I believe you mentioned that already," he replies calmly, recalling earlier events.

Throwing her hands up in frustration, the vet begins to rant. "How could you do that with them watching? Kiba wasn't all that bad because at least he can accept it, but my mother?! What were you thinking? She already doesn't like you and now she probably hates you even more," she hisses.

"So who hates me more Hana, you or your mother?"

Hana mutters something under her breath causing Itachi to release a quiet sigh.

"We should find Hayato," the Uchiha suggests as he looks up at the late afternoon sky.

"I guess you're right. Knowing him, the idiot probably didn't go to the hospital to treat those burns you gave him," Hana agrees.

The ninja hear someone calling them and turn to see Sorami coming towards them. She appears to have just gotten off her shift and is still wearing her uniform.

"It's still really hot out," she comments as she wipes some sweat from her brow. "I hope you guys have been staying cool. You haven't been doing anything too vigorous, right?"

Her voice has a teasing edge to it as her gaze travels between the couple. Hana shifts uncomfortably for a moment before giving a reply.

"Besides Itachi sparring with Hayato earlier, all we got today was a heated discussion with my mother. If Itachi was planning to do anything vigorous, he'll be doing it alone."

"I'm going to ignore that last comment and guess that by spar you mean attack out of anger," the medic nin says. The Inuzuka nods in response causing Sorami to release a sigh.

"Since neither Itachi nor Hayato checked into the hospital, is it safe to assume there weren't any injuries?" Sorami asks cautiously.

"I told you that idiot wouldn't go get his burns treated," Hana grumbles to Itachi.

Again Sorami sighs before asking "Where is he?"

The Inuzuka sniffs the air for traces of Hayato's scent. She catches a small whiff, but it's enough to follow him. She points down a path and the trio head in that direction. Unfortunately, the trail suddenly stops and Hana growls in frustration.

"How could he just disappear like that?" she complains.

"He used a transportation jutsu. He must have known he'd be followed or was running from something," Itachi says simply in a bored tone.

"Or someone," Sorami grumbles as she spots Yuna not far away.

The other girl sees the three and grins at them before walking up to them.

"Your Hayato's friends, right?" she asks.

They give curt nods to tell her to continue.

"I ran into him earlier and he told me to let his friends know that it's hot and he went somewhere cool to relax. I don't have a clue what he meant by that, but he said you'd understand," Yuna explains.

Itachi is thoughtful for a moment before he shares a look with Hana. The vet raises quirks an eyebrow when he starts walking off in another direction. Hana nods her thanks to the waitress while Sorami pretends she's not there. Afterward, the two run to catch up to Itachi.

"You know where Hayato is?" Sorami questions.

His reply is short and direct. "The river."

Itachi is once again leading the way as Hana glares at the back of his head. It seems that she hasn't forgotten that she's supposed to be angry with him. Sorami looks back at the trailing Inuzuka and slows to walk beside her.

"Are you alright, Hana? You seem upset about something."

"Don't worry. I'm fine. Just a little angry, but nothing major," said woman answers. A teasing grin spreads across Hana's face as she turns to the medic nin. "What about you? Why were you upset with Yuna?"

The black haired woman tries to suppress a blush, but her cheeks still redden slightly. "There's just something I don't like about her. She's so cheerful and pretty and-"

"And so are you," Hana groans. The other woman can be so dense sometimes. "On top of that, you're smart. You're a good kunoichi and medic too."

The statement cheers Sorami up a bit and the woman offers her friend a small smile. Hana returns the gesture and the three continue their walk to the river in a pleasant silence.

* * *

Hayato hisses as pain shoots through his left shoulder. He angrily murmurs curses under his breath as he carefully inspects his injury. The task is difficult because he needs to twist in an awkward position to see it and any movement causes even more pain. The fabric of his clothes does nothing to help the matter either.

After a few moments of struggling, the brunette's frustration causes him to take out a kunai and just cut his shirt off. He doesn't bother to remove his shorts as he raises and walks into the river in front of him. The water is cold and a relief in the hot weather.

The ANBU member slowly lowers himself into the water. Although the cool water is refreshing, its pressure on Hayato's burn makes him bite his lip to keep from shouting. A string of cuss words fly from his mouth and he doesn't pay much attention to the three people nearing him.

"I didn't know you had such a colorful vocabulary, Hayato," Hana says in amusement.

Said man isn't pleased that she finds his pain funny and growls in agitation. Behind him, Sorami sends chakra to her feet and walks on the water as she goes to check on him. The medic nin crouches beside Hayato and forces her gaze not to wander anywhere besides the wound.

Hayato turns his head to acknowledge her to find her focusing intently on his shoulder. He also comes to the conclusion that the ever so slight red hue of her cheeks is from the extremely warm weather.

"You must think I'm pretty stupid, huh?" he murmurs.

Sorami shakes her head slightly to show him she doesn't think that without her eyes leaving the burn for a second. Her hand is glowing green as she brings it up and gently touches Hayato's injury. A hiss of pain escapes Hayato before the action becomes soothing. The cool chakra heals him and calms him down at the same time.

"Well, I think I'm stupid. I keep getting hurt for acting like an idiot instead of an ANBU like I should be." The statement is so quiet that Sorami isn't sure if she was supposed to hear it.

"You're acting this way because you grew up so much in such a short amount of time. Now that Itachi has returned, you're trying to relive your past by acting childish. In a way, you're switching gears. On missions, you behave normal and when you're around friends, you try to escape your duties and go back to being a foolish genin instead of a top rank ninja," Sorami explains.

Hayato blinks a few times before letting out a chuckle. "Are you a medic or a psychologist? Either way, you're good."

While Sorami continues to heal Hayato, Hana and Itachi are sitting across from each other in the two different trees. One is glaring at the other as they lounge on a branch. Itachi opens an eye slightly to peek at the still fuming Inuzuka.

Suddenly, he disappears and shock is written all over Hana's face. She erases the surprise from her features and stands. She knows that Itachi is still close by, but can't pinpoint where he is because he's masking his chakra.

Hearing rustling below her, Hana looks down expecting to see Itachi. Instead, she spots Hayato picking up a towel from a lower branch to dry himself.

"Hana," a voice whispers huskily into her ear. A shiver shoots down her spine and she can practically hear Itachi smirking behind her.

The Inuzuka spins around to confront Itachi, but her voice gets caught in her throat when she realizes just how close he is. His face is mere inches from her own and she can smell his minty breath. Hana tries to back away, but finds herself pressed against the tree. Before she can get away from him, Itachi cuts off her escape by putting his hands on the tree on either side of her head.

"Why were you staring at Hayato when you could be staring at me?" Itachi asks mischievously. His breath fans Hana's face making it difficult for her to think straight.

Hana tries to glare at him like she had been doing earlier, but she has trouble gathering enough anger. All that she has left is curiosity.

"Why did you say marriage was something we needed to consider?" she asks almost shyly.

Since she's staring directly into Itachi's black orbs, she can't see his lips curve into a smile. "There're many reasons, but I told you we'd discuss it later," comes his reply.

Itachi barely leans in before he asks a question that's been bothering him. Hana's brought it up more than once and he want's to know why. "Why do you hate me?"

"There're many reasons." Itachi feels a tug at his heart when she answers. "But those can be forgotten now that you're back."

The vet moves her mouth beside Itachi's ear and whispers "Now love is in its place."

A weight is lifted off Itachi's shoulders as Hana trails a finger down his chest.

"But there's still a few things I hate," she adds thoughtfully. "Like how you're constantly in my thoughts. Or how weak you make me."

Itachi chuckles as Hana pulls back a bit. "Most of all, I hate how every fiber of my being wants you."

Hana nips Itachi's bottom lip, driving him crazy. Before the Uchiha loses control, Hayato's voice calls out to them.

"Oi, you guys are worse than teenagers. I'm glad you're together, but get a room." After a moment, the ANBU member quickly adds "As long as the room isn't next to mine!"

Itachi is the first to step back, although he's extremely reluctant. He and Hana jump down from the tree branch to be greeted by a grinning Hayato and fidgeting Sorami.

"Are you two okay?" Hana asks suspiciously.

"Of course! I feel great now that Sorami's healed me," the man slings an arm around the medic's shoulders. A look of sudden realization comes across Hayato's face before he smacks himself in the forehead.

"What am I talking about? Itachi's trial is in two days and we're not ready for it yet!" he exclaims.

"I'm aware of my own trial, idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot!"

The two shinobi start arguing as they walk back to the village. Hana shares a look with Sorami before sighing.

"He'll come around eventually. Every guy has to go through the clueless idiot stage. Hayato is just a tad more oblivious than others," Hana says in hopes of comforting her friend.

"I'm not worried about it too much. He's making some progress."

In the distance, they hear Hayato shout. "Just give me your damn shirt, Itachi!!"

The women pale before running in the direction Hayato and Itachi went. They're relieved to find that Hayato had just remembered that he'd cut up his shirt and only wanted the Uchiha's shirt to cover himself. For a moment, the women thought the ANBU member was bent.

"I can't go back like this. Girls will keep staring at me!"

Hana and Sorami sweatdrop. Hayato is really starting to confuse them about his orientation.

"You don't care if Hana or Sorami sees you," Itachi retorts.

"Well, that's because Hana is with you and Sorami…"

The man pauses as he contemplates. He scratches his head in thought before quietly saying "Sorami is different. She doesn't stare at me."

The way he says it sounds almost as if he's sad about it. He inwardly smacks himself before arguing with Itachi again.

Hana turns to Sorami and murmurs "Can I knock some sense into him?"


	20. The Final Word

**Alright, it's been a while, huh? I've been sort of busy with school lately. I've been trying to get this chapter finished, but I kept getting other stuff I had to do first. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter.

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**The Final Word**

The chamber is quiet just as expected. The room is small, but there's enough room for those who came to witness the trail to be seated comfortably. All eyes are on the people seated in the center. Two of the three are dressed rather formally to make a good impression while the third is wearing a uniform to show his status.

The members of the Inuzuka clan who are present are tense as they watch Hana, who is sitting on right side. Her interaction with the traitor could deal a severe blow to the clan depending on the results.

Naturally, there're ANBU stationed around the room, but the one standing beside the accused unusually calm. He knows there's no threat and is already preparing himself for the outcome instead of an attack.

In the middle of the vet and ANBU member is the traitor himself, Uchiha Itachi. His eyes are focused on the table before him as he feels gazes travel over his form. Removing his gaze from the table, he glances behind him to scan the crowd.

The sharingan user can see old acquaintances from his days as a shinobi of Konoha. Many avoid meeting his eyes which are well known for being dangerous. They don't understand why he acted the way he did all those years ago. Today, they'll find out the truth. Itachi doesn't really care about them though. He only wants one person in particular to know the truth and he knows they're here when his eyes catch a flash of pink in their search.

The pink alerts him that Haruno Sakura is in the crowd and Itachi knows that if she's here then so is his brother. Sure enough, the youngest Uchiha is sitting beside the pink haired medic nin as well as a certain masked man, artist, and loudmouthed blonde. Though he's attempting to remain impassive, a small scowl can be seen on the young man's face. Sasuke's eyes are closed as he refuses to look at the man he spent so many years trying to kill.

Despite Hayato's warnings, Itachi asked Kakashi to bring Sasuke to his hearing. Hayato had repeatedly stated that the younger Uchiha could speak against his brother and end up getting him executed.

Still, Itachi was willing to take the risk. While he could always regain the trust of other shinobi, this would be his only chance to tell Sasuke the truth and possibly have his brother forgive him. While the chance of being completely forgiven is diminutive, this may allow the brothers to be on better terms.

A hand comes to rest on Itachi's shoulder and the man looks up at the ANBU stationed beside him. He gently squeezes the Uchiha's shoulder and although the mask is hiding his face, Itachi knows Hayato is giving him a reassuring smile.

A door to the chamber opens and everyone's attention goes to the elders as they make their way to their seats, which were positioned in a half circle. A moment later, the Hokage enters followed closely by Shizune who's carrying papers. Tsunade takes her place in the center on the half circle and Shizune stands behind her.

Hayato slowly removes his hand from its place on Itachi's shoulder. Itachi notices that his friend is now standing straighter and has an air of professionalism. Itachi also observes that despite his efforts, Hayato can't keep his fingers from twitching anxiously.

Tsunade clears her throat and the trial officially begins. She starts by getting some papers from Shizune and listing Itachi's offenses. The Hokage then asks him if he denies any which he does not. Already the hearing has gotten off to a bad start. The elders peer down at the Uchiha in disgust when he admits to murdering his clan, joining Akatsuki, hunting Naruto, etc.

One of the elders addresses Itachi. "If you agree that you've committed treason against Konoha and murder, why do you bother to come before us?" she asks.

For this, Itachi has an immediate response. "I don't disagree that I shouldn't be punished for my actions, but I want you to know under what circumstances I did them. The Mangekyou Sharingan is an incredible ability that's true power is still a mystery. After gaining this powerful doujustu, it corrupted my thinking and took over me. My behavior completely changed due to its influence. There're at least three people here who can tell you that I suddenly acted different," Itachi states.

There's a moment of murmuring among the elders before another member of the council speaks. "Who are these people? Their accounts may be of some importance."

Hana rises to tell her story. "Itachi and I were rather close when we were younger. Although he never was very open, he told me more than anyone else. One day, he just started to close up. Itachi rarely spoke to me and whenever we were together, I'd often see him spacing out. I assumed he was just thinking about a mission, but I now realize the Mangekyou Sharingan brought about this change instead of his increases in rank."

Tsunade nods to the Inuzuka and she takes her seat before Hayato takes a step forward.

"I was on Itachi's team when we were genin and although that time was short, not once did I see him show any dislike towards the village. He was always loyal and willing to defend Konoha. It wasn't until after he was promoted to ANBU and killed Uchiha Shisui that any changes occurred."

As Hayato steps back, Tsunade's eyes furrow in confusion. She scans the room's occupants and suddenly stops when she sees Team 7.

'He can't possibly be thinking of him can he? Although it would help Itachi's case if he does speak, he might not aid him,' she thinks to herself.

The Hokage's gaze goes back to Itachi as she asks "Who is the third person?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

A frown appears on the Hokage's face and she hesitates before gesturing for Kakashi to bring Sasuke up. Sasuke sends a glare in Itachi's direction, but the older Uchiha refuses to look up. Instead, Itachi's eyes are once again focused on the table while Hayato grips his shoulder.

Seeing his brother so vulnerable is strange for Sasuke. Itachi's life could literally be hanging on the words that come out of his mouth. His glare softens as he thinks back to what Itachi had said and he finds it making sense. Although he's still angry with Itachi, there's no arguing that his behavior had undergone a sudden alteration.

For Hayato, Itachi, and Hana, the silence seems to go on forever. One of the many moments they've been dreading has come and they're now awaiting Sasuke's reply.

"I was always treated rather kindly by my brother. He acknowledged me more than my father. One day, I noticed he had a new level of sharingan. It was after that Itachi began ignoring me and being secretive."

A sense of relief floods Itachi after Sasuke's words. It also gives him hope that he'll be allowed to live. If Sasuke can have a change of heart then there's a good chance the same will happen for the council.

One of the council members is looking at him suspiciously and says "You say it was the Mangekyou Sharingan which corrupted your thoughts. Yet you needed to kill your best friend, Uchiha Shisui, to achieve it."

"The fact that I murdered Shisui was an accident. I gained the next level of sharingan unintentionally."

"Explain how it was an accident."

Itachi's expression becomes a sad one as he prepares to reply. "My father, Uchiha Fugaku, had angered me the night before. He wanted me to attend a clan meeting while I had to take care of a mission with the ANBU. The next day, I completed the mission then asked Shisui to spar with me. He knew I was frustrated with my father and understood my need to release some stress. During the spar, I caught him off guard and hit a vital spot. After that, something in the back of my mind told me to cover up the incident. I suppose the Mangekyou Sharingan was already taking effect and altering my way of thinking."

"And how do we know you won't revert back to your old ways?"

"I've realized my mistakes and know when I'm starting to go down the wrong path. I correct myself before anything gets out of hand."

After Itachi speaks, Hayato addresses the council. "And I'm also here to keep him in line should it be necessary. There're many who can stop him. Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Hana, and even his own brother, Uchiha Sasuke, just to name a few are up to the task that won't ever arise to begin with."

One of the elders leans over and whispers something to Tsunade. The Hokage asks Shizune for some papers before handing them over to the elder who takes a look at them before nodding. They look up from the papers and address Hayato.

"According to our records, you've required hospital treatment for burns and other injuries. Explain."

The demand catches Hayato off guard as well as Itachi and Hana. The ANBU member quickly recovers from his shock however and answers.

"Those were my fault. Even though I set a high bar for Itachi's improvement over the years, I still underestimated him."

This confession surprises the council and the elders have a short discussion before continuing with the hearing.

"Uchiha Itachi is a member of the Akatsuki and is known to be deceptive. Just he being here is a threat to this village."

"I'm a former member of the Akatsuki and therefore I have valuable inside information about the organization. I wish to assist Konoha in defeating the Akatsuki not the other way around," Itachi calmly states.

His declaration rings of sincerity and Hayato pushes the argument further to help persuade the elders.

"Itachi is a genius and if he truly wanted to attack Konoha, he would've done so already. He'd attack with the rest of the Akatsuki when only a few people knew he was in the village. This would leave us vulnerable and easy to defeat. Why would he wait until the entire village was aware of his presence before attacking us?"

There's a slight pause in Hayato's speech to allow the elders to consider his words. Once their attention returns to him, he continues.

"Konoha is strong, but it still wouldn't hurt to have another powerful shinobi on our side. The Uchiha clan was one of the strongest clans in this village and now only two remain. Why execute one of them for past mistakes that he had no control over?"

As he speaks, Hayato slowly approaches the elders. Although he promised to keep Itachi and Hana's relationship a secret, revealing it may help Itachi's case.

"It would also be good for the village if the Uchiha clan was restored. Although Sasuke said he would take care of that, he's still a bit young. Itachi however is already involved in a serious relationship with a strong kunoichi of the Inuzuka clan," he says quietly so only the elders and the Hokage can hear.

Tsunade blinks at Hayato then peers behind him at Itachi and Hana. She can see the Inuzuka squeezing the sharingan users hand in reassurance under the table.

"The Inuzuka clan is known for not only their dog companions, but their loyalty that is rarely rivaled," Hayato says, bringing the Hokage's attention back to him. "Hana would never betray Konoha and since Itachi loves her, he won't do anything to harm this village either."

Hayato turns to walk back to Itachi and finds another ANBU member has taken his place. He recognizes the mask and smirks as he approaches.

"Thanks for covering for me 'Yamato,'" Hayato teases.

The man grunts in slight irritation and the brunette is sure he's rolling his eyes. Hayato chuckles slightly as Itachi raises an eyebrow at him.

"What did you say when you went up there?" Hana asks before Itachi gets a chance.

The man turns his head in their direction, but remains silent. They could swear he was smirking at them. The three turn their attention to the Hokage when she clears her throat.

"Is that all?" she asks as she stops to look at each one.

Hayato stands up straight again and the three nod simultaneously. Tsunade looks around at the council and each one nods their head. It's time to make the decision.

The Hokage rises and walks through the doors to a chamber behind her with Shizune and the elders following her. They all take their seat around a table and begin debating Itachi's punishment.

Some elders are more lenient than others, but all know the law must be obeyed and they can't make an exception for one person. Itachi had betrayed Konoha whether he wanted to or not and needs to be punished.

"No one said that he would be pardoned!" Tsunade argues. "His punishment should be lessened however. Execution is too severe for this case. Uchiha Itachi was being sincere and he'd be a great asset to the village. He has inside information about the Akatsuki and he will be loyal to Konoha."

While the elders continue to discuss Itachi's punishment, the people are waiting in the chambers. Sasuke and Kakashi have returned to their seats with Sakura, Naruto, and Sai while and additional ANBU member has joined 'Yamato,' Hayato, Itachi, and Hana as a precaution.

"So you underestimated me?" Itachi questions as he remembers Hayato's statement about being treated at the hospital.

"It wasn't a lie," the brunette says with a shrug. With a chuckle, he says "I thought you'd be more patient. I was basically asking for you to attack me when I was pushing you and Hana together. It was my fault."

It's at that point where Hana decides to comment. "You only underestimate someone once before you learn. You've been injured several times. Were you just getting hurt so you could spend some alone time with Sorami?"

Hayato feels his face heating up and is thankful for his mask. "That's not it," he protests. He opens his mouth to say more, but he can't think of a good reason for getting hurt.

"Sorami is only a friend and doesn't think of me that way anyway," he finally says as he looks at the floor.

Hana swats the back of his head and murmurs "baka" under her breath. As Hayato rubs the back of his head, the council reenters the room. The moment of truth has arrived.

Itachi notices that although Hayato appears calm, he's beginning to fidget again. Though he too is nervous, Itachi forces an impassive face as he stares up at the Hokage. His heart feels as if it's going to burst from his chest as Tsunade holds up a scroll and begins to read.

"We have come to the decision that Uchiha Itachi will not be executed and shall remain under probation."

A load seems to lift from the Uchiha's shoulders as he blinks in surprise. He resists the urge to drop his head into his hands or hug Hana in relief.

"Uchiha Itachi, you will be under the constant watch of either Tsuki Hayato or Inuzuka Hana. You won't be allowed to go on any missions for 6 months at the end of which you will receive a Leaf Village headband. This will be followed by 6 months of missions no higher than C-rank then 2 months of a maximum of B-rank missions. If after those 14 months your loyalty is deemed unwavering, you will be allowed to be readmitted into the ANBU and can go on A- and S-rank missions. You must wear a chakra controlling band and tracking device for the first 6 months after which you will only wear the tracking device. That band will then be removed once you start going on B-rank missions. You'll also be required to write a report including everything you know about the Akatsuki."

Tsunade takes a barely noticeable pause and shoots Hayato a look. He quickly and discreetly makes the hand signs for a powerful paralysis jutsu while the Hokage continues.

"Furthermore, we expect the Uchiha clan to have a newborn on the way within a year and a half. Is that clear Uchiha Itachi?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he replies as he hides his shock from the last comment.

From the corner of his eye, the sharingan user peers at Hana. He's surprised to see her motionless. The Inuzuka's face may even be showing less emotion than his own. Itachi hears chuckling coming from behind Hayato's mask.

After taking a deep breath, Tsunade declares the hearing over and dismisses everyone. Itachi fully turns to Hana to see that she still hasn't moved, but he can hardly see her tattoos due to her flushed face.

"Good thing she's paralyzed or she'd be tearing me apart by now," Hayato says quietly.

"This is your fault. You told them about us," Itachi realizes.

Thankfully, they're still in the chamber so Itachi can't take out his anger on Hayato although it is empty for the most part. Behind the Uchiha, Hayato can see Hana forming a glare.

'Oh crap,' he thinks to himself as he puts more chakra into his jutsu and extends it to Itachi as well. It still isn't enough to hold the two upset ninja. "Come on you guys. We're still in the chamber. Can't you just be happy that I helped save Itachi's butt?" he pleads.

"What do you think, Hayato?" Hana growls at him.

Hayato chuckles nervously as Team 7 approaches them. Kakashi claps Itachi on the back and congratulates him. Since the copy nin is keeping the Uchiha busy, Hayato releases a sigh as he frees Itachi from his jutsu. He's still weary of the vet however.

"If you want, I could lend you a copy of Icha Icha Paradise for inspiration," Hayato hears Kakashi suggest to Itachi causing the usually emotionless man to blush slightly.

The sight causes Hayato to start cracking up for which he receives a death glare from a certain couple. His laughter dies down however when he sees the youngest Uchiha approach his older brother. The two men stare at each other for a moment before Itachi breaks the silence.

"I know me saying sorry doesn't fix everything, but I hope you understand now," Itachi states.

"Hn," Sasuke replies. Sakura swiftly elbows him in the ribs for his reply.

"I wish you'd forgive me and I know it's a lot to ask so I won't." Itachi states calmly. "I hope we can start over and form a new bond, but I'll leave that decision up to you. Either way once the Uchiha clan is restored, you should be the clan leader."

Astonishment is shown on Sasuke's face for a moment before it quickly disappears. He hesitates for a moment before speaking.

"What you said about the Mangekyou Sharingan makes sense. I guess we can try to work things out. We'll see how it goes," he replies before turning away.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

"Aa."

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**Wow this was longer than I expected! Yeah I know the ending kind of sucked, but I couldn't have the Uchiha brothers hating each others guts, especially after Itachi's reasoning. Besides, I need them to at least be able to tolerate one another with how I want to end the story.**

**For those who got confused when Hayato called one of the ANBU 'Yamato,' I threw in the ANBU member that Tsunade called "Yamato" who went with Naruto, Sai, and Sakura on that mission. Hayato was basically teasing him. Why? I don't know! I just randomly threw it in there.**


	21. Progressing and Confusion

**This one's shorter because I had a bit of trouble writing it. Normally, my ideas just flow, but lately I've been having trouble either putting my thoughts into words or connecting the parts of the story I already have planned out. I think all the stress in my life is just building and making this harder. I'll still continue though.

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**Progressing and Confusion**

Itachi waits patiently in the hospital room with Hana. He's here to get a check-up and have the chakra/tracking bracelet put on. After the trial which took place an hour ago, Hayato and Itachi went home to change while Hana did the same and retrieved the Haimaru Triplets. The dogs weren't allowed to be in the chambers so Hana is letting them spend time with her now.

The door opens to reveal a grinning Shizune. The Hokage's assistant congratulates them on the ruling of the elders. The medic nin is careful not to bring up the demand for a child. The two obviously weren't ready to openly declare their relationship so discussing marriage and children is a subject that should be avoided for now.

As Shizune is checking Itachi, the door burst open and Hayato enters with a scowl on his face, waking the Haimaru Triplets from their nap. The ninja had left several minutes ago to find Sorami and tell her the results of the trial. Slamming the door behind him, Hayato goes to stand by the window. Itachi notices that his friend is gripping the windowsill so tightly that his knuckles have turned white.

"What's wrong, Hayato?" Shizune asks. The ANBU member ignores the question and continues to glare out the window.

A little while later, the brunette has moved to lean against the wall. But when laughter can be heard outside the door, Itachi and Hana notice the muscles of his jaw clench. Shizune, who was preparing to put the chakra bracelet on Itachi, pauses. Hearing laughter in the hospital is not a normal sound with a few exeptions. Once more, the door opens and Sorami enters. Another doctor who was with her remains in the doorway.

"Ah…Uchiha-san," the man says when he sees Itachi in the room. Despite the doctor's attempts to remain calm, he's obviously nervous.

"I heard you guys were in here so I thought I'd see how the trial went," Sorami states as she walks further into the room.

"That's very nice of you, Sorami-chan," the doctor says as he takes a step forward to follow her.

At this point, something in Hayato snaps and he's in front of the other doctor in an instant. His icy glare makes the man unconsciously step back. His steps send him into the hallway and Hayato slams the door in his face.

Hayato turns back around to see everyone staring at him. Even the dogs have their heads cocked to the side in confusion.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing. So…you wanted to know about the hearing, Sorami. You mean Hayato didn't tell you?" Hana asks. "He went to go tell you how it went."

The medic shakes her head and all eyes shift to Hayato.

"You were busy with him," he replies dryly as he gestures to the door. "Who was he?"

Sorami has an immediate response. "Oh, he's Iashi, another doctor who has a few patients being switched to my care. He was telling me some things I may need to watch out for."

Feeling foolish, but not knowing why, Hayato's eyes drop to the floor and he says "Oh."

Sorami turns back to Hana and Itachi to ask "So how did everything go?"

Although the Uchiha's face remains blank, the vet glares at Hayato.

"Done!" Shizune announces as she takes a step back. "I better go. I have plans with Genma later and Hokage-sama's letting me get off early."

The medic nin hurries to leave and Hayato says "I'll come with you" before following out the door.

The door closes with a click and Sorami's expression is one of confusion. Itachi proceeded to inform her of the elders' decision.

"Hayato also divulged our relationship," Hana states. "Now, they're expecting a baby."

The Inuzuka's face suddenly becomes one of horror and she drops her head into her hands. "There were some members of my clan present at the hearing. They heard everything!"

"Hana…" Itachi says, but the vet cuts him off.

"My mother already wanted to talk about this and now that everyone else knows, we'll have to go to a clan meeting and have to deal with that!"

The sharingan user releases a sigh as he stands. He grabs Hana by the hand before leading her out the door, through the hospital, and through the village. The entire time, the Haimaru Triplets whimper at Hana's feet as she continues to rant to warn her of what Itachi is doing.

She finally comes to her senses when she recognizes the houses they pass by. Hana's face pales when she realizes they've entered the Inuzuka compound.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hana demands as she digs her heels into the ground. The sharingan user turns around to face the woman who just now is starting to fight his hold.

"Your mother is the head of the Inuzuka clan. If we talk to her now, you won't have to deal with the embarrassment of discussing everything before your entire clan," Itachi states matter-of-factly.

He leans in slightly so his nose brushes her cheek. "And like I said before, there's a topic we need to consider," he adds before gently pressing his lips to her jaw.

He pulls away to observe her expression. "You mean, when my mom wanted to discuss marriage?" Hana asks in shock. Itachi is almost certain he could hear her heart pounding.

"Well, I personally believe things should progress in a certain order. If we had a baby just to please the elders, we'd be skipping a step." Itachi's eyes hold amusement in them as they hold Hana's gaze. "Would being my wife really be that terrible?" he asks.

Hana gapes at him as she tries to form a coherent thought. Itachi chuckles before kissing her forehead.

"Don't worry, Hana. I'm not asking you to do anything. There's still time. All I care about is that you're happy," he says quietly.

Itachi turns around to start walking towards the main house, but is stopped when Hana wraps her arms around him from behind. He peers at her over his shoulder and raises an eyebrow when he finds her grinning at him.

"It might be sooner than you think Itachi," she says before releasing him and they start walking to the house together.

Although she can't argue with the Uchiha's logic, Hana would still prefer not to start a conversation with her _mother _about her relationship with Itachi. Although when Tsume opens the door, the small smile on the older Inuzuka's face brings some comfort.

"Hello Inuzuka-san. I was hoping we could discuss a few things," Itachi says politely.

Tsume nods and they take the same seats they were in the first time they visited. This time, however, Kuromaru and the Haimaru Triplets are more relaxed and the atmosphere is slightly more comfortable. Hiro's head is once again resting on Itachi's knee while Takeo lies across Hana's feet and Daichi sits on the floor between Hana and Itachi.

"I figured you'd be coming over soon," Tsume states as she eyes the bracelet on the Uchiha's wrist. "What exactly did you wish to discuss?"

"Last time we were here, you said us getting married would cause some problems. I was just wondering what those were."

When Tsume's eyes widen, Hana quickly adds "Not that we are. We'd just like to be aware of why there'd be problems."

In an attempt to relax her body, the leader inhales deeply. "Both the Uchiha and the Inuzuka are powerful and prestigious clans of Konoha. Each has their own customs," she explains. "Just like your Uchiha crest, an Inuzuka's tattoos are special as well as their dog companions."

Tsume meets Itachi's eyes. "I was at the hearing and know what the elders have asked of the two of you. Although your child will have the name Uchiha, it will still be an Inuzuka by blood. I know I don't really have a say in the matter, but I would like for the some traditions of the Inuzuka clan to be upheld."

"I understand," the sharingan user replies as he bows his head respectfully.

Meanwhile as the conversation continues, Hayato is standing in the Hokage's office.

"You want me to assign you a mission. What brought this on so suddenly?" Tsunade asks in surprise as she stares at the man in front of her.

"I think it would be best if I wasn't around for a few days. Itachi and Hana weren't all that happy with me after they realized I informed everyone about their relationship," the brunette explains. "Please Hokage-sama. There has to be something. I'll even go on a D-rank mission if it'll get me out of the village for a few days."

Tsunade eyes Hayato suspiciously. "I heard from Sakura earlier that you were in the hospital. She said that you gave Iashi quite a scare and you were upset about something. Is anything wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong."

"Shizune also came in before she went to see Genma. She said you left to find Sorami and came back angry. Then you directed that anger towards Iashi and seemed upset with Sorami when you saw her with him. Why?" the Hokage presses.

Hayato groans. "I don't know why, but I don't see the point of discussing that. Please just give me a mission."

The blonde studies the ANBU member for a moment before smirking knowingly. "Fine, but a D-rank mission won't be necessary. I have an A-rank mission that requires a three man cell. You're team will consist of Gai and Rock Lee and you'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"Gai AND Rock Lee?!" Hayato groans.

"You wanted a mission and you got one, Hayato. If you weren't trying to avoid a situation, this wouldn't happen in the first place. But since you're trying to get out of dealing with your problems, you'll have to deal with Gai and Lee first then your other situation when you return," Tsunade scolds.

She hands Hayato a scroll and adds "Once you return from the mission, report here and then go with the rest of your team to the hospital to get an examination done. I don't care if you think you're injured or not."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he says reluctantly before exiting the office.

While exiting the Hokage's Tower, Hayato reads the scroll. The mission itself isn't that difficult, but it's important. They have a high chance of being attacked while trying to carry out the task as well.

Arriving at his apartment, the ninja considers what supplies he'll need for tomorrow. Once he's packed the necessary supplies, Hayato summons one of his falcons to tell Itachi of the mission so he knows he'll be staying with Hana for the next few days.

Once that's taken care of, the brunette heads to Taro's bar to inform his employer that he won't be coming to work for the next few days, but Itachi should still be coming.

"What's wrong Hayato? I heard about Itachi-san's hearing. Why are you going on a mission instead of celebrating?" Taro asks with concern.

With a senbon, Hayato move the ice in his drink around. He shrugs in response to Taro's question.

'Why aren't I celebrating?' Hayato asks himself. 'I should be happy. Yet all I can think about is how Sorami was laughing because of Iashi.'

The ANBU member finds himself thinking of Iashi with disgust. Realizing what he's doing, Hayato shakes his head to rid his thoughts.

'Maybe the mission tomorrow will clear my head,' Hayato silently hopes.


	22. Stupidity Leads to Revelation

**Stupidity Leads to Revelation**

With the ever loud Hayato away on a mission, Itachi was able to complete his report about the Akatsuki rather quickly. He even read it over several times to ensure that he didn't leave anything out. Writing the report for the Hokage also provided him with something to do while Hana was working. He needed to stay in the waiting room for hours while the Inuzuka treated patient after patient. He felt sort of like a small child who couldn't stay home alone.

Itachi's been staying with Hana for the past four days. Most of their time together is either spent in Hana's office or with Hana complaining as Itachi reads. It's become a routine. Every morning, they'd wake up early, walk the Haimaru Triplets, and train for an hour or so. Then Itachi would sit in the waiting room while Hana did her job. When they returned home, Itachi would take up the task of making dinner. His days traveling with Kisame required him to know how to prepare a decent meal. Anything the shark man cooked looked toxic so the Uchiha refused to even taste it.

This morning started out no different. After a light breakfast, the ninja left the house to stroll through the village on the way to the training grounds. As always, the duo would walk close together, but never openly show affection towards each other like some other couples. Although the elders may not be pleased by their lack of affection, Itachi and Hana found this to be the only way to avoid badgering by the village's citizens, something neither wanted. Still, the two showed just how much they cared for each other in private which is what really mattered.

As the two continue their stroll through the streets of Konoha, two ninja can be seen fleeing their teammate who is yelling loudly of "youth." Although the words alone were enough to identify the person, Itachi and Hana can confirm who the person is by his green spandex, bushy eyebrows, and haircut that resemble his sensei's.

While Rock Lee follows his teammates, Itachi and Hana can see Gai up ahead speaking with Sorami who appears concerned. They see the jounin shake his head before Sorami spots them and comes towards them.

"Have you seen Hayato? He returned from his mission last night," Sorami tells them. "Hokage-sama said he didn't look very well and he's the only one on the squad that hasn't reported to the hospital. She sent me to check on him, but I can't find him anywhere."

"You checked the bar?" Hana suggests.

"Empty," the medic responds.

"His apartment?"

"I knocked, but didn't get an answer."

As Hana and Sorami continue listing different placed the ANBU member could be, Itachi stares up at the sky as he contemplates. After a moment, the Uchiha starts walking away and the girls and Hana's dogs follow him.

When they arrive at Itachi and Hayato's apartment, Sorami opens her mouth to argue. Before she gets the chance, the sharingan user opens the door and the beeping of an alarm clock can be heard.

While Hana, Sorami, and the dogs remain in the living room, Itachi walks towards the noise to find it coming from Hayato's room. He opens the door and walks inside to find the brunette sleeping on his bed. The man couldn't even crawl under the covers when he lay down on his bed the night before.

The stoic Uchiha refrains from rolling his eyes as he turns off his friend's alarm. Shaking Hayato's shoulder to wake him, he hears his friend groan in protest.

"Get up," Itachi deadpans.

Reluctantly, the brunette sits up. He'd been so tired last night that he'd even forgotten to change out of his uniform. Seeing that Hayato is now awake, Itachi leaves to allow him to change. When Itachi returns to the living room, Hana and Sorami are watching TV.

"He's getting up," Itachi tells them.

Just then, they hear a loud thud causing all of them to go back to Hayato's room. When they enter, they find their friend passed out on the floor. Concern growing, Sorami has Itachi help her get Hayato back on the bed so she can examine him.

As Hana and Itachi leave her to her work, the medic nin catalogs Hayato's injuries. He has minor cuts on his arms which have already begun to heal themselves. Something had sliced through his shirt as well resulting in a cut on his side.

Seeing a bruise on Hayato's head, Sorami treats it first. Her hands glow green as she touches his forehead. After a moment, the bruise is nearly gone and Hayato is starting to move causing the medic to pull her hand back. The ANBU member brings a hand to his head as he attempts to sit up.

"Stop, Hayato. Lay back down. I need to heal you," Sorami says softly.

The man doesn't seem to hear her as he ignores her order. With a sigh, Sorami moves to treat his arms as she says "At least tell me what happened so I can heal you better."

Hayato grunts before replying. "We were attacked on the way back to the village. It wouldn't have been a problem if Lee hadn't been going on and on about 'the power of youth' and all that other nonsense. Not only does that boy lack self control, he's fast too. He was practically everywhere at once so I needed to make sure I stayed out of his way while fighting off an enemy."

Hayato is quiet for a moment before he reluctantly admits "Somehow, I got clipped by a few kunai and shuriken. I've been feeling like my energy's slowly slipping away ever since."

"The enemies' weapons were probably coated with poison. Since you aren't dead, it must've been chakra draining poison that wasn't in very large quantities. If you waited much longer to get treatment however, you'd most likely be completely drained of chakra. That's something that would look pretty bad in a mission report, especially for an ANBU," Sorami comments as she glances at him momentarily.

Hayato grunts in response to her last comment. For some reason, he feels uncomfortable, but when he tries to adjust himself, he's stopped by a small burst of pain. He winces and is sure Sorami noticed because she helps him sit in a more comfortable position.

Once she's kneeling beside him again, she says "I need you to take off your shirt so I can take out the poison from the cut on your side."

He obeys without question. Once his shirt's been removed, Sorami gets a better look at his wound, but her eyes start to stray from the area. She sits there for a moment feeling warm all of a sudden.

"Sorami," she hears her name being called. "Are you okay?"

Snapping out of her daze, the medic tries to control her blush. "Yeah…I'll just…um," she stutters.

Giving up on speaking properly, Sorami turns her attention to her work and starts taking out the poison. She starts to feel awkward when she senses him watching her. She briefly looks up at Hayato and their eyes meet momentarily before she tears her gaze from his and avoids eye contact.

Noticing her flushed face, Hayato grows confused. He continues to watch the medic as she keeps glancing away from his body.

"Why are you nervous?" he suddenly asks.

"I'm not nervous," Sorami says defensively. Feeling insulted, she instinctively backs away a little.

"Yes you are. I can tell by your breathing. Also you aren't just focusing on what you're doing like other medic nins," he explains. "Are you uncomfortable seeing patients shirtless?"

"No, I'm a professional."

"I don't know what the big deal is then. I mean you've seen me like this before when we were swimming."

At the thought, Sorami turns a deeper red and quickly tries to cover it up. Hayato catches her however. A smirk comes across the brunette's face as he stands.

"I…um I don't think you should be moving yet," Sorami says in a quivering voice.

Hayato approaches Sorami. "I'm fine," he states with a smile.

"Please Hayato, lay back down," the blue eyed woman pleads as she backs into the wall. "Please," she whispers.

Taking a deep breath, Hayato nods. He walks back to his bed and sits down. The brunette sits there patiently as Sorami stares at him. Concluding that he won't lie down no matter how many times she asks, the medic returns to his side and finishes healing him.

Once the task is complete, Sorami goes to stand, but Hayato suddenly grabs her wrist. Catching her off guard, he pulls her back down and connects his lips to hers. He smiles against her lips as Sorami remains frozen in shock.

As quickly as he started the kiss, Hayato pulls away. "Would you like to go to dinner sometime Sorami-chan?" he asks softly with a grin.

Having not yet recovered, Sorami can only nod her head. Hayato's eyes shine in amusement as he beams at her.

Finally returning to herself again, Sorami smiles and asks "Do you need anything else?"

Hayato is silent as he takes a moment to ponder. "Would you mind adjusting my pillow?"

Sorami leans in to fix his pillow and the ANBU member kisses her once again. It's just as sweet as the first as he moves his hand up to cup her face. This time however, Sorami is able to respond to his kiss and moves her lips in rhythm with his. Sorami is the one to break the kiss. As she stands up straight, Hayato grins widely at her.

"I'll never get tired of that," he says contentedly as he reaches out to grasp the medic's hand.

Meanwhile in the other room, Itachi watches his girlfriend as she pets her dogs. Every time he looks at her, he feels happy and almost complete. No he won't be completely satisfied until his relationship with Hana has developed farther. It's strange for the normally stoic Uchiha to experience emotions yet he constantly feels something around Hana.

Peering down at his wrist, Itachi stares at the band that serves as a constant reminder of his punishment. He inwardly smirks as he thinks that having a child with Hana can hardly be considered a punishment. He was sure their relationship would eventually go down that path anyway. If anything, the elders are just speeding everything up.

Still, Inuzuka Hana is a free-spirit and rushing into anything could possibly scare her away. Although she said she'd be ready for marriage sooner than he thought, she clearly still isn't ready yet. She still is uncomfortable when he's around her family and even discussing their relationship openly is awkward.

Itachi can see the reasoning behind delaying the inevitable in their relationship's course. At the moment, Itachi is deadweight and he hates that more than anything. When he becomes a shinobi of Konoha once more, then his relationship with Hana can progress. For now, he's like a child. Constantly being watched and disciplined. Once the Uchiha gains some freedom, his role will increase and their relationship will be equal. Then they can depend on each other.

Itachi inwardly sighs as he examines his chakra bracelet. A smirk slowly creeps onto his face. Although he prefers things progress in a certain order, that doesn't mean he and Hana can't practice restoring the Uchiha clan in the meantime.

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**I think the difference in the relationships between the two couples suits their personalities for the most part. Since I think Cheese Maiden said it pretty well in a review, I'll use it. Hayato and Sorami are cute and sweet while Itachi and Hana are sexy and naughty.**

**I'll try to update again this weekend, but I can't promise anything. I've got loads of homework and a video project for Spanish I've got to do. It all depends on how long it takes for my group to get the thing done. Either way, I hope to update soon. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	23. No Reason For Nerves

**I couldn't really think of anything major that was worth writing about so I jumped ahead a few months. This chapter is a cute one. At least it is in my opinion. 

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**No Reason for Nerves**

Sunlight pours into a bedroom from the windows, but the room's occupants take no notice. The male is awake and staring at his companion's serene expression as she sleeps soundly beside him. When their alarm clock goes off, the woman groans groggily before unconsciously snuggling into the man's chest to block out the sound.

Repressing a chuckle, Itachi reaches over his girlfriend and turns off the alarm. Then he carefully pulls away from Hana to get ready. Her hands clutch his shirt to prevent him from moving, but Itachi finds a way to free himself.

Immediately missing his body heat, Hana pulls the blankets tightly around her. A few minutes after the bedroom door clicks shut, one of her eyes slowly opens to take in her surroundings. With her sharp hearing, the Inuzuka detects the sound of running water. Itachi's using the shower.

Reluctantly throwing her legs over the side of the bed, Hana prepares for the day. At some point as she walks down the hall, the Haimaru Triplets appear at their master's feet and follow her to the kitchen. She pets each one's head and gets them their meals.

As the dogs eat their breakfast, Hana tries to hear if the water's still running. It is, but the Uchiha should be finishing up soon. Smirking to herself, the Inuzuka goes to the bathroom door. Silently, she opens it and enters. The vet sits on the countertop and as she does so, the water is turned off and a hand reaches out to grab a towel.

Itachi emerges with the towel wrapped securely around his waist. He appears surprised for a moment when he realizes Hana's there, but quickly recovers. Still, the Inuzuka notices and grins widely at him, showing off her canines. The sharingan user stares blankly at her for a moment before approaching her. He's still wet from his shower and his black hair is sticking to his face and neck.

When he stands before her, Hana inhales his scent. Her eyes follow droplets of water as they move down the Uchiha's chest and abs. Sliding down from the counter, Hana brings herself even closer to him. She places a kiss on his cheek as one of her hands rests on his moist chest. Itachi's head drops down to her shoulder and his hair soaks her clothes. Hana trails her hand down his chest, feeling his muscles quiver from her touch.

Suddenly, she's no longer there and Itachi finds himself missing the contact. He peers over at her from the corner of his eye to find her by the door, beaming at him. The Uchiha forces all emotion from his face as he represses the urge to throw her over his shoulder and take her back to his room.

Hana continues to grin at him as she says "I thought I'd let you know that we have a double date with Hayato and Sorami tonight."

The woman receives only a nod in response which disappoints her slightly. She expected him to be a little more annoyed. Usually, the Uchiha dislikes going out with Hayato and Sorami since they don't have a problem with displaying affection. She had also just teased him. Instead, Itachi just walks out of the bathroom, leaving the shower open for her to use.

As Hana prepares for work, Itachi gets dressed. Afterwards, the man decides to spend some time outside. Itachi steps out of the house and glances around. The last few months have been spent fixing up the Uchiha compound so now the brothers are living in their old complex. Itachi has taken one of the smaller houses, leaving Sasuke to inhabit the main house. Although the two aren't on the best terms, Sasuke is able to tolerate Itachi's presence to some extent. Things are gradually growing better, but the pace is slower than that of a snail.

Inwardly sighing, Itachi makes his way to a lake located in the Uchiha compound. A few months have passed since he had returned to his old home, but Itachi still finds himself uncomfortable. He wishes he could tell the rest of his clan that he hadn't meant to kill them. That he was being controlled.

Itachi stares at his reflection in the crystal clear water. Light reflects off of his Konoha headband which is tied securely around his forehead. Since he can now go on missions, the shinobi no longer is required to wear the chakra controlling band. He doesn't need to work at Taro's bar anymore either. The sharingan user has also been granted more freedom. He's allowed to walk through the village or train on his own which suits him just fine. It's been a while since he's had time to himself. It also helps with his relationship with Hana. They aren't constantly around one another which makes the times they are together more enjoyable and special.

A hint of a smile makes its way onto Itachi's face as he thinks of his relationship with Hana. Things are moving along smoothly. She's become completely comfortable when speaking to her family about him. He can see the happiness in her eyes whenever he stops by the clinic unexpectedly. Yes, it's been like this for a couple months now and it's about time he-

A shout interrupts the Uchiha's thoughts causing him to look over his shoulder. His eyes are immediately drawn to something orange. It seems Naruto has come to check up on Sasuke. Although the Kyuubi boy is generally louder than necessary and often has stupid arguments with his chicken haired teammate, there's no reason for him to be yelling so early in the morning. His curiosity getting the best of him, Itachi goes to see what all the commotion is about.

When he arrives at the site, Itachi sees that Team 7 is having a…unusual meeting at his little brother's front door. The loud blonde appears to be in shock at the fact that his pink-haired teammate answered the door instead of the expected Uchiha. Sakura is blushing deeply as Sasuke stands rather close behind her while he glares at Naruto for disturbing them. Both of their appearances indicate they were doing more than just talking.

Preferring not to get involved, Itachi quickly leaves. He has more important things to do anyway before he meets with Hana later.

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Dinner had been rather enjoyable in Hana's opinion. It was good to see how happy Hayato and Sorami are together. Still, the vet can't help but feel as if she's missing something. Hayato and Sorami seemed to know something she didn't and when she asked Itachi, he merely shrugged in response.

Now, it's late and Itachi is walking her home. The task is unnecessary, but since the sharingan user is going out of his way to spend a little extra time with her, Hana doesn't mind.

Soon, they arrive at Hana's front door and Itachi suddenly feels uneasy. Hana is smiling as she turns around to say good night. Itachi struggles a bit to remain calm. There's no reason for him to feel this way. He's not nervous. Nope, definitely not nervous.

Hana raises an eyebrow at him when he remains silent. This pulls him out of his thoughts and he offers her a small smile in return. The Uchiha places a kiss on her forehead before he turns away to start heading home. He glances over his shoulder to make sure she's entering the house before letting a smirk take over his features.

Since Hana hasn't gotten an opportunity to go home all day, she grabs the mail. She doesn't get a chance to look through it though because the Haimaru Triplets bark to get her attention. She grins sheepishly at them since she forgot to feed them before going to dinner.

Once her dogs have been taken care of, the vet goes back to checking the mail. Most of it is junk, but then she comes across a dark blue envelope. All that's on it is her name in neat handwriting. Her brow knits together in confusion as she turns the envelope over in her hands.

Whimpering can be heard from the dogs as they wait for her to do something. She looks down at them to find that they're staring at her expectantly. Hana rolls her eyes at them before looking back at the envelope.

Instead of just tearing it open, something tells the Inuzuka that it's special and she opens it carefully. She pulls out the contents to discover that it's a picture.

"What the hell?" Hana murmurs as she stares at the picture of a diamond.

Her face shows nothing but confusion as she flips the picture over. Her heart immediately stops before it begins pounding rapidly. Her mouth falls open and her body goes rigid with shock as she reads the words.

_Will you marry me?_

Itachi wraps his arms around Hana's waist from behind, making his presence known. His hand is holding a bouquet of roses and their aroma is flooding her nose. Hana's heart is pounding against her ribcage as she continues to stare at the words in shock.

Suddenly, she turns around and grabs Itachi's face. Holding his head in place, she crashes her mouth to his. Relief flows through Itachi the moment their lips make contact. Her silence was making him nervous. He thought he read her behavior wrong and she still wasn't ready to get married.

The Inuzuka pulls away and hugs him tightly.

"You never really answered my question Hana," Itachi says teasingly.

"I will when I hear you ask yourself," the vet says with a laugh as she pulls back slightly to look him in the eye.

Itachi rests his head against her forehead as he stares into her eyes. "I love you. Would you, Inuzuka Hana, do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Hana grins widely at him before closing the small space between them. She covers his face with kisses as he smiles. Between kisses, Itachi can hear her saying 'yes' repeatedly and he wonders why he was nervous in the first place.

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**I think my chapters are gradually getting smaller then I'll have sudden bursts in which there's one chapter that goes to 7 or 8 pages in Microsoft Word instead of 4 or 5. I guess it evens out though. I wanted an average of 6 pages per chapter.**

**Anyway, you know that button at the bottom of the page? The one that says 'Submit Review?' Of course you do! Reviews are good. They tell me if you like the story or hate it. They help me become a better writer so they're always appreciated. Even if they say 'you suck and have no talent as a writer.' Sure I'll be upset at first, but I'll get over it and use the advice to get better. So please review.**


	24. Payback

**I know this chapter may seem pointless, but I'm using it to set up what happens next. I also thought this story could use some action.**

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**Payback**

Hayato runs through the forest on a course that he knows will bring him home. Although he lives to be a shinobi, lately he's felt that the Hokage has been sending him on too many missions. The brunette sighs as he picks up the pace. The fast he goes the sooner he'll be home with Sorami. Hopefully, she won't need to treat any serious wounds when he arrives.

The sun seeps down from above the trees and the ninja sees a glint not far ahead. He skids to a stop to discover a trip wire which alerts him of a trap. Suddenly, shuriken are thrown at him and he quickly moves out of the way. Unfortunately, more wire is attached to the shuriken and the brunette finds himself restrained to a tree.

A dark haired man jumps down from a nearby tree and smirks at him. Hayato wiggles slightly against the wires to test his range of motion. Not perfect which indicates that this man isn't a shinobi, but enough to restrain him for the time being.

"I've finally hunted you down," the man announces causing Hayato to raise an eyebrow.

"Should I be honored that you've been searching for me?" he asks in response, almost in a mocking manner.

"You're the ninja who assassinated our boss and his daughter a few months back. After all this time, we finally were able to identify that ninja to be you and track you down."

Hayato remembers the mission well. He can recall sitting in Taro's bar and feeling awful for killing the girl. It wasn't her fault her father used her to acquire information about Konoha.

Still, he's surprised that he's being attacked by his victim's followers now of all times. Don't they have anything better to do than spend months trying to avenge their leader's death. Hayato can't help but think that their efforts will be in vain anyway as he stares at the man with a bored expression.

"You're a criminal who hails from Valley Country. Your people have been known for stealing Konoha's secrets," Hayato comments as the man glares at him for showing no fear. The glare is wasted though because if this man was a ninja, he'd rank as a chuunin at the most. Hardly something that would intimidate the ANBU.

The man sneers and walks towards him as he pulls out a kunai. Once he's about a foot away, Hayato smirks.

"I don't go down easily."

That's all that the ANBU member says before the shadow clone explodes. In another tree, the real Hayato is twirling a kunai in boredom as he stares down at the scene. One down, four more to go.

Cutting his thumb with the kunai, Hayato summons a few of his falcons. He still isn't able to summon large falcons so a few average size ones will have to do. He sends them out to search for the other four enemies as he cautiously makes his way through the forest.

A warning cry from one of his falcons his heard, but it's too late for him to react. Something is thrown at a tree in front of him and it explodes. A sticky substance hits him in the eyes and blinds him.

Silently cursing, Hayato listens for movement in the area around him. Running water can be heard nearby and Hayato makes a mental note of it. He can use the river to clear his eyes once he gets the chance.

The unsheathing of a sword comes from behind him and Hayato pulls out another kunai before spinning around to block the attack.

"I'm a ninja. I have other senses besides sight." 'Although, seeing would make this so much better.'

The beating of wings signals Hayato that some of his falcons have come to assist him. Breaking free from the fight, Hansuke quickly leads Hayato over to the river and helps clean his master's eyes. Now he'll be able to see if his jutsu is working properly.

Returning to the battle, Hayato discovers that now all four attackers have shown themselves. Forming hand signs, the brunette performs a genjutsu which two of the men get caught in. One of the two that escaped performs an earth style ninjutsu which traps Hayato. Apparently, some of these men were ninjas which would make sense. A crime leader needs bodyguards and having a few ninjas on your side is always beneficial

Unfortunately, one of those ninjas has now surrounded Hayato with a tall wall of earth. On top of that, the other escaped man is standing at the top of the wall and is preparing to throw down kunai. But not just any kunai, because those could be avoided. No, he's got to go the extra step and attach exploding tags to them. Hayato mentally curses himself for underestimating these men even the slightest. If he makes the mistake again, it could cost him his live. A price that would send a few people he knows on a rampage for revenge.

Using his own earth style technique, Hayato goes underground and silently appears behind the ninja who created the fort. Without being discovered, he slits the man's throat before going after the man who was throwing the exploding kunai at him.

Before the man even realizes it, Hayato has stolen his weapons and is able to stab him in the back with one of the exploding kunai. Quickly, Hayato pushes the man down into the fortress and jumps down from the wall.

Glancing around, Hayato discovers that the two other attackers have escaped his genjutsu and have gone into hiding. He notices that his falcons are nowhere to be seen either.

A yell is suddenly heard from behind him and Hayato glances over his shoulder to see one of the men charging at him. The stupidity of the man baffles Hayato, but he turns to face him nonetheless. Deciding not to waste anymore weapons, the brunette fights him in close combat.

Then the other one joins the dance and Hayato is put on the defensive. Somehow, another bomb explodes and covers his eyes once more. Distancing himself to give him some time, Hayato performs a substitution jutsu and appears in the trees above the two men. Not wasting any more time, he then uses a fire style jutsu on them.

His aim must have been slightly off (not that he could see it) because a kunai hits him in the abdomen. The brunette gasps at the sudden pain and clutches his stomach. Gritting his teeth, Hayato can feel his chakra being drained which tells him that chakra strings are attached to the kunai. Using the string, he's able to locate his two enemies and Hayato performs a body paralysis jutsu before hitting their vital points with kunai.

Defeating these enemies has done nothing to ease the pain in his abdomen and Hayato takes a sharp intake of air. Making his way back to the river, Hayato hears wing beats approaching him.

"What happened? Why weren't you guys covering me?" Hayato asks the bird.

"Isamu was trying to do too much and got hit by an attack," comes the response and he recognizes the voice to be Hansuke's. "He's all right, though. The others took him home."

Hayato nods silently as he kneels down by the river. "Thank you, Hansuke. For helping me and then staying with me."

He can hear the bird scoff. "Don't be ridiculous. I didn't stay for you."

The ANBU member chuckles as he bends down to clean his eyes. The bird has stubborn and has too much pride to admit he cares for Hayato. "If you say so Hansuke."

Just then, a kunai is thrown towards Hayato, aimed at the back of his head. Unable to hear it over the rushing water, Hayato doesn't react. Hansuke, however, does.

A screech of pain is heard and Hayato's heart stops. His blood runs cold as his head snaps in Hansuke's direction. The bird has taken the kunai to his wing and is now lying on the ground.

"Damn bird got in the way," the man Hayato pushed off the wall grumbles. Somehow, he was able to survive and is still attempting to fight.

Overwhelmed by anger, Hayato drains the man's chakra to slow him down. His own movement is minimal thanks to the wound to his stomach. Using the man's own weapon against him, Hayato throws an exploding kunai at him. His attacker is still able to dodge and grins mockingly at the brunette.

Hayato's expression remains impassive as the kunai hits the tree behind the man and explodes. The explosion causes the tree to fall and land right on top of the man, crushing him.

Having finally finished the fight, Hayato turns his attention back to Hansuke. "Are you all right, Hansuke? I'm so sorry, my friend." The bird is losing blood and Hayato is beginning to panic.

'I can't let him die for me, but there isn't enough time to bring him back to the village. Hansuke and I will have lost too much blood. We'd both die before we reached Konoha. Sorami would be so hurt if I didn't come back. There must be something I can do.'

It's then that Hayato remembers something his father told him a long time ago.

Flashback

A little boy sits on the porch as he glares at the scroll in front of him. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to master the jutsu his sensei assigned for homework. What makes it even worse is that the damn Uchiha perfected it by his second try. His growls of frustration go ignored by his little sister who's in the yard playing with a falcon.

The boy's father, however, takes notice of his son's sour mood and takes a seat beside him. For a moment, all he does is sit there and observe his joyful daughter playing with one of his summons. He chuckles to himself and the sound makes the little boy glance up at him.

"You know something, Hayato. At one point, I couldn't summon anything bigger than a baby falcon. I would try and try, but nothing worked. Then one day, Aiko was wandering around and fell into the river. The current quickly carried her to the waterfall. I didn't have time to think. I put my whole heart into my jutsu and summoned the biggest falcon. He's name was Hiroto. He saved your sister and I've been able to summon him ever since."

The man glances down at Hayato to find the boy staring up at him with wide, interested eyes. He grins at his son and reaches down to ruffle his messy hair. Hayato pouts slightly, unhappy that he's being treated like a kid.

"You see, Hayato, sometimes we do our best when those we care about are in danger. We put those we love before ourselves and great things happen. If you try to perform that jutsu you're studying in order to protect someone, you'll perfect it in no time."

"Itachi got it right on the second try and he didn't do it to protect anyone," Hayato complains.

"The Uchiha?" His son nods causing the man to frown slightly. "Itachi is…different. You shouldn't compare yourself to him. The Uchiha have a different way of doing things than the Tsuki. That kid is a genius, but this way will work for you. You'll succeed and be even greater than Itachi if you train for the sake of this village and those you love."

End Flashback

'I always thought you were wrong, Father,' Hayato thinks to himself as he forms hand signs. 'I didn't believe I could be better than Itachi and I still don't. I know you didn't believe it either. You weren't stupid. But you may be right about one thing. Maybe I can be even greater if I do things for the sake of others.'

Without thinking twice, Hayato focuses what remains of his chakra into his summon. Once the smoke clears, a huge falcon appears before him and the cost was draining his chakra to absolute zero.

"What am I doing here? Who summoned me?" it asks.

Looking down, the large bird spots Hayato holding Hansuke. Too exhausted to speak, Hansuke answers on Hayato's behalf.

"Boss, this is Tsuki Hayato. He's the one who summoned you. We need to get back to Konoha immediately!"

"Tsuki?" "Yes."

"Tsuki Fumito was the last to summon me. Do you mean to tell me this is his son?"

"Yes, sir."

"It takes years of hard training to be able to summon me. A mere boy was able to do so after such little training. He must really be something."

Due to a large cut on his sleeve, Hiroto can see a mark on Hayato's shoulder and realizes it's an ANBU tattoo. Accepting the brunette as his master, Hiroto gently picks him up and places him on his back as well as Hansuke before taking off towards Konoha.

* * *

Uchiha Hana, clothed in the traditional dark clothing complete with an Uchiha fan sewn on each shoulder, squints at a black spot in the sky as she walks through the village.

"Hey, Itachi? Do you see that?" she asks her husband.

Said man reluctantly opens one of his eyes and looks at the rapidly growing dot that Hana's pointing at.

"Aa."

Rolling her eyes at his lack of concern, Hana watches as the object, which can now be identified as a huge bird, lands rather close to where she and Itachi are standing. She can see something on its back which the bird carefully picks up. Hansuke also appears on the bird's back and is somehow able to make the short distance over to Hana despite his injured wing.

Realizing the situation, Hana grabs Hansuke while Itachi takes Hayato from the large falcon and the two part ways. Hana is going to the clinic to heal Hansuke while Itachi rushes Hayato to the hospital.

As he runs, Itachi thinks to himself 'What did this idiot do now?'

* * *

**I think there will be three or four more chapters after this.** **I plan on having Itachi and Hana's baby born in this story and I'm planning a sequel that focuses on the next generation since ideas are continuously popping up in my head. Heck, I already have nearly all of the names picked out for the children in the sequel! I'm leaving it up to you guys though. Do you want a sequel or not?**


	25. You're What?

**You're What?**

A sharp pain is felt through Hayato's nose which immediately brings him to consciousness. The brunette sits up and is about to curse loudly when a hand is slapped over his mouth. The man follows the hand to discover it belongs to Itachi. His friend holds a finger to his lips, signaling him to remain quiet.

Nodding in understanding, Hayato moves Itachi's hand away and looks around the room. He's lying on a hospital bed with Itachi to his right and Hana looking uncomfortable as she stares out the window. On his stomach is Hansuke with his left wing dressed in bandages. The brunette glares at the bird, knowing he was the one who nipped him on the nose earlier.

Then he hears it, the loud and aggravated voice of the Hokage as she stands in the hall outside his room. She's upset about something and Hayato wishes she'd be quieter so he can't hear her. She's talking about him which he assumes is the reason he'd bed roused from his nap.

Before he can hear anything else, the door opens and Tsunade enters followed closely by Shizune. Seeing his cousin's wife, Hayato forces a small smile to his face before giving the Hokage his attention.

"How the hell could you wind up in the hospital after fighting a few criminals and low level ninja?!" Tsunade begins. "I may have expected this from a genin, but not from an ANBU."

"Sorry Hokage-sama," Hayato murmurs quietly as he turns his gaze to his hands.

"Well, you've gotten hurt a few too many times for my liking. I'd understand if they were A or S rank missions and there was a good reason, but it's not," the Hokage comments as she turns to look out the window. Her hands are behind her back in a professional manner. "I might need to take you off the ANBU at this rate."

Itachi remains impassive as Hana winces in the corner and Hayato refrains from allowing his panic to show on his features. He's worked so hard to progress as a ninja and now his rank may fall after all his efforts.

"But, Hokage-sama. Naruto has been hurt on several occasions due to Sakura's temper and Sasuke's dislike for teasing. Yet he has advanced to jounin and has remained as one!"

Tsunade snaps her head in Hayato's direction. "Naruto doesn't get injured on simple missions and require hospital treatment. The fact that you're acting immature and drawing attention to your comrades also leads me to question if you should remain an ANBU."

"Please Hokage-sama, I've finally perfected one of my jutsu. I admit I dropped my guard because I was sure I killed all the enemies and knew Hansuke would help me if something were to happen," Hayato pleads. "It won't happen, again! This mission has served as a reminder of how dangerous being a shinobi can be and has brought me back to my original mindset. I admit that I stumbled a bit in my training when supervising Itachi, but I'm even better now!"

The Hokage sighs and massages her temples. "Fine. I'll leave you with a warning. This isn't over though, Hayato. Start acting like an ANBU or I'll have no choice but to remove you."

It's clear that the blonde doesn't want to argue with someone so stubborn. Not wishing to be in the room any longer, she departs after giving the bedridden Hayato a stern look. Hayato sighs in relief before peering over at Shizune. He smiles at her and beckons her closer. Once she's standing beside his bed, the bump of her belly seems even larger than when he left several days ago. He can feel the two chakras that are forming.

"When Genma does something, he gets it done, huh? Twins," he murmurs more to himself then the Hokage's apprentice. He glances up at the medic before continuing. "Genma says that Hokage-sama isn't easing up on you yet," he utters quietly like he always does around the pregnant Shizune as if she was holding the babies as they napped.

The black haired medic smiles at him and shakes her head. "Count on Genma to over exaggerate. Once in awhile, Tsunade-sama will need my help at the hospital. I hardly work anymore." She turns and walks towards the door. As she opens the door, she peers over her shoulder and says "Soon we'll need you to baby-sit." After the door clicks shut, Hayato releases a hiss of pain.

"Damn it, Hansuke. Get off!"

The falcon hops off his master's stomach and Hayato finds slight relief now that its talons are no longer digging into his wound. Hansuke ruffs his feathers before nipping the brunette's fingers.

"It's not my fault you're hurt. Thanks to me you're still alive you unappreciative idiot," the falcon argues.

"I am grateful, but you can't expect me to ignore your talons pressing into my wound," the ANBU grumbles as he gently stokes his summon apologetically.

Hana walks over and gently lifts Hansuke into her arms.

"I'm going to take Hansuke to the clinic. His bandages need to be changed," she murmurs before taking her leave as well.

Now it's only Hayato and Itachi in the room. From the corner of his eye, Hayato watches as the sharingan user looks over some scrolls. The room is silent with the exception of Itachi's pen as he writes.

"What are you doin'?" Hayato asks out of boredom.

Without glancing up, Itachi replies "paperwork."

"You're always doing paperwork. What's it this time? A mission report or some other meaningless garbage?"

The Uchiha ignores his friend and continues making notes on the scroll. Hayato clicks his tongue and stares up at the ceiling. Suddenly, a switch is flicked on in Hayato's brain.

"Oh Itachi, I almost forgot to congratulate you," Hayato says cheerfully as he turns to the Uchiha. "I'm not the last one, am I?"

The prodigy glances up momentarily from his work. His expression shows slight puzzlement. "Congratulations for what?"

Hayato's grin falls and he blinks at his friend. "Hana didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Didn't you see her touch her stomach like ever five seconds? Maybe if you weren't constantly doing you're damn paperwork you would've noticed."

The sound of a pen hitting the floor echoes through the now silent room. Itachi stares unseeingly at Hayato's face.

"Wha?" is all the Uchiha manages to force out. Surprisingly unintelligent for the prodigy.

"I was sure Hana told you that she's pregnant. I found out from Sorami the day before I left for my mission. I was in such a rush to get back since I didn't get a chance to congratulate you beforehand," the brunette explains.

The door to the room opens and Sorami steps in. Hayato grins at her when a baffled expression comes on her face.

"I thought Itachi was still in here," she comments as she comes over to the brunette's bedside.

Hayato chuckles and looks over at the spot Itachi had been sitting not even a second before. He grasps the medic's hand.

"Soon there'll be a bunch of little Uchiha's runnin' around," he says cheerfully.

* * *

Moments after Itachi left Hayato's room, he is already running through the Uchiha compound. He enters his and Hana's house and searches every room for his wife. When he finds it empty, he checks a second time to try to find evidence of what Hayato told him is true and is careful not to overlook anything. He finds nothing indicating that Hana is in fact pregnant though.

When he enters their bedroom, the Uchiha's eyes fall upon the nightstand. Walking over to it, he looks at the picture sitting on it. Unlike the one taken as a group many months ago, this one includes only Hana and himself. His wife is wearing the usual dark attire with the Uchiha clan symbol on both shoulders while he's wearing a black shirt with the Uchiha fan on the back. On this rare occasion, he can be seen smiling slightly. His father would have his head for expressing his emotions in such a way if he were alive.

Tearing his gaze from the picture, Itachi continues searching the room. He's about to check the closet for anything that screams 'you're going to be a father' when he hears the front door open. The man mentally smacks his forehead. Hana had said she was going to the clinic and here he was searching the house.

The Uchiha walks down the hall to find Hana in the kitchen. Her back is to him as she searches the fridge for something to eat. He takes this time to study her, but nothing gives away her condition. Catching a whiff of her husband's scent, Hana straightens and peers over her shoulder.

"Hey Itachi. I thought you were still with Hayato," she states before looking back at the contents of the fridge. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Are you going to make it?" he asks, trying to keep his voice void of emotion. He approaches the woman and stands so they're nearly touching.

"I _was_," she grumbles.

Itachi's hands come to rest on her hips and he pulls her closer towards him. "How about you rest while I make dinner?" he suggests.

Hana looks at him suspiciously. "Don't you have work to do?"

Itachi places a kiss on her forehead before murmuring "It can wait."

Now Hana knows something's going on. Itachi isn't one to procrastinate no matter what it is.

"If you're hoping to do the mattress mambo, it's not gonna happen. I've got to go to the clinic early tomorrow," Hana remarks as she takes a seat at the table.

The sharingan user shakes his head in response. "I just don't think you cooking would be the best idea."

In Itachi's opinion, Hana's cooking wasn't nearly as lethal as his used to be shark partner's, but he'd still prefer if she didn't eat it while she was pregnant. He'd have to come home earlier for the next several months to ensure he was the one doing the cooking.

As he cooks, Itachi glances over at his wife every so often. Shouldn't she have told him by now? What if she's not bringing it up because it's not his? He shakes his head to rid it of such ridiculous thoughts.

Once dinner's ready, the couple sits down at the table. As they eat, Itachi takes the time to observe the vet once more now that he can see her front. He notices that every once in a while her hand will come to rest on her stomach. She smiles at him and he's sure she's going to tell him now.

"The food's good Itachi. Maybe you should try eating some," the brunette teases. Glancing down at his plate, he realizes he hasn't even touched his food yet while Hana has already finished.

When Hana stands and clears her plate, Itachi frowns. He watches her back as she goes into the living room. The sharingan user whistles and the Haimaru Triplets enter the room. Unable to find his appetite, he places his plate on the floor for the dogs to eat before following Hana into the living room.

He finds her reading information on some of her patients on the couch and takes a seat beside her. Again he notices her hand go over her abdomen. Releasing a sigh, Itachi draws Hana's attention.

"You keep doing that," he mutters as he gestures to her hand which is still resting on her stomach.

"Yeah." Hana avoids meeting Itachi's eyes as she removes her hand and brings it to her side. Itachi is wearing an expectant expression while he inwardly panics. She doesn't appear very happy. "I think I'm getting fat since I haven't really gotten a chance to train and haven't gone on any missions lately."

Itachi somehow manages to refrain from yelling in frustration. "You're not gaining weight."

"But I will be…" Itachi's heart begins to beat so violently that it'll probably leave a tattoo on his chest. This is the moment where she tells him. "I think I'll ask Hokage-sama to give me a mission."

"You're not going on missions," Itachi states firmly. Something in the back of his mind tells him he just made a huge mistake, but he ignores it.

Hana finally looks up at him and he's surprised to see her glaring at him. "What?! Just because we're married doesn't mean you have control on whether or not I go on missions. I'm a kunoichi. It's my job to serve the village."

By now, Itachi's patience has reached its limit. "You could get injured and bring harm to not only yourself, but the baby."

Hana's eyes go wide as she gapes at him. "W-who told you that?"

"Hayato."

Hana's expression is one of pure bewilderment. "But I'm not…I don't know why he'd tell you something like that cause I'm not."

Disappointment takes over Itachi before he realizes that Hayato tricked him. He could practically hear the damn brunette laughing at this very moment. Hana's voice interrupts Itachi's thoughts as he plans on ways to murder his best friend for making a fool out of him.

"Why would he do that?"

Itachi sighs. "I've been working a lot lately and haven't spent much time with you. He probably wanted to get me to stop and came up with this."

"It was clever," Hana admits before standing. Itachi's eyes flicker down her form as he watches her stretch.

A body is pressed up against Hana's and she releases a sigh. Looking over her shoulder, she meets her husband's smoldering eyes. His hands trial lightly up her sides as he places a tender kiss on her shoulder.

"Not now Itachi. I have to get up early tomorrow."

The Uchiha smirks as he lifts the woman and begins carrying her towards their room. "I guess we better start now then."

* * *

"Soon there'll be a bunch of little Uchiha's runnin' around," Hayato says cheerfully.

Sorami appears confused by her boyfriend's statement. "But Hana isn't pregnant."

A twinkle of mischief can be seen in the ANBU member's eye as he replies "Not yet."

Rolling her eyes at the man, the medic checks his stats. Her gaze flicks up to examine him every so often before she makes a little note on her sheet.

"Since you drained your charka to absolute zero, you won't be able to get up for a few days," she announces. "On top of that, you got a kunai imbedded in your abdomen which left a deep wound. Nothing life threatening though and it was quickly healed so there was limited blood loss. You'll need to remain in bed to ensure that you make a full recovery."

Approaching him, she lifts his shirt gently to check his injury. There's some blood still so the bandage will need to be changed. Sorami watches his face as she places gentle pressure on the area in order to remove the bandage and replace it with a new one. Hayato visibly winces as he takes a sharp intake of air. Stopping, the medic straightens and takes a bottle of pills from her pocket.

"Take one of these. They'll help with the pain," she instructs as she holds the painkillers out to her patient.

Hayato turns in head away as he refuses to take them. "I'm fine. I don't feel a thing."

Sorami rolls her eyes before turning around and walking over to the counter. Hayato watches her from the corner of his eye. He frowns slightly when he realizes her uniform completely hides her curves. Hearing his name being called, the ANBU member snaps out of his daze.

Seeing Sorami approach, he turns his head fully towards her. She bends down and softly kisses him. He smiles against her lips and swipes his tongue across her bottom lip. He feels her smirk slightly, but he forgets about it the moment she parts her lips a bit. His tongue feels something small being held between her teeth which surprises him.

With Hayato caught off guard, Sorami forces the pill into his mouth before he can react. She quickly pulls away and Hayato is forced to take the medicine. She ignores the pathetic look he gives her as she replaces his blood-soaked bandages with fresh ones. Once she's finished, Sorami pats his head jokingly as he sulks.

"Now be a good boy and stay in bed. The sooner you get better, the sooner you can start train again and remain an ANBU with the big kids," she teases. "I'll be back to check on you later."

The brunette grunts in response as Sorami leaves him to check her other patients. Once she's gone, he allows a smirk to cross his face. Feeling glad he listened to Itachi, Hayato wonders when he and the medic nin will have their own children. He has to ask her to marry in first of course.

His thoughts drift to his best friend. If the sharingan user doesn't kill him violently in his sleep tonight, he's sure he'll live to witness the restoration of the Uchiha clan which will occur soon hopefully. Of course, the prodigy will have to undergo nine months of hell with the former Inuzuka Hana. Still, Hayato can't help but smile as he thinks of how much his friend owes him. Maybe he can bring that up if the Uchiha _does_ try to kill him later.

* * *

**Just so you know I don't plan on writing how Hayato proposes to Sorami. This story focuses on Itachi and Hana. Although, I'll be the first to admit Hayato and Sorami received a lot of attention. But whatever…I can't change it now.**


	26. Experiencing Hell

****

**It's been a while, huh? At least, if feels like it to me. Hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter. I've been stressing a lot lately with school and the frickin' ACT garbage. Yeah, I know it's important, but it's such a pain! I've been going to sleep at around 2 or 3 every morning for the past few weeks. I'm surprised I can still function with all this sleep deprivation. Sighs Anyway on top of all that, I'm working on another story at the same time I'm writing this one. I hope to be finish this story soon. My teachers are starting to take it easy on the homework because of the overload for the ACT (except my APUSH teacher. He's handing out homework like there's no tomorrow. He's also freakin' making the class come in after we take the ACT. It's supposed to be a half day, but my class has to come in. What the he-double hockey sticks is that about?! And why aren't I swearing as much as I normally do?). So yeah, more time to type. Hopefully...**

* * *

**Experiencing Hell**

Blink. Scribble scribble. Blink blink. Scribble scribble. Sigh. Twitch.

Hayato snaps his fingers. "I got it!"

Itachi glances up from his writing and give his brunette friend a look of annoyance. Hayato appears a bit uneasy now that he realizes the sharingan user is annoyed.

"I think I've figured out why Hana's not pregnant yet." Itachi glares at the man before going back to his work. Hayato ignores the Uchiha's reaction since he's probably concerned about this matter. "I recall her accidentally kneeing you in a rather important part of your anatomy. Maybe it's your fault…"

Hayato trails off when angry red pinwheels meet his eyes.

"Get out," Itachi says tonelessly. Although emotion is absent from the order, the words are still threatening.

Hayato smiles nervously as he stands and backs away from the Uchiha. Itachi's eyes follow his friend until he's out the door. He hears a chuckle to his left and glances over to see Hana leaning against the door frame.

"You don't need to be so angry with him whenever he's around. He was probably kidding anyway," she comments.

Itachi deactivates his sharingan before responding. "I'm not angry at him all the time. He just always comes over at the worst times which I'm finding increasingly annoying."

"A lot of things annoy you Itachi_-kun_," the woman says with a smirk.

Itachi almost snorts at the comment before he meets Hana's eyes. Despite the fact that she's teasing him, he can see the underlying nervousness that her eyes can't mask. She knows something and isn't sure how to tell him. Understanding that his gaze is making her even more uneasy, he shifts his eyes back to the paper before him and begins writing again.

"There's something you wish to tell me, isn't there?"

Hana bites her lip before walking forward so she's standing in front of him. The vet is hesitant and she just stares at him for while.

"My mother wants me to breed some of the dogs. The puppies will need to stay here," Hana states before quickly adding, "It'll only be one litter at a time because it would be a handful if there were more."

"Aa..."

"It'll be pretty crazy around here," Hana stresses. Itachi doesn't lift his head as he says "Agreed."

"Children can be crazy too, especially Inuzuka children. Do you want crazy Inuzukas running around?"

Itachi finally lifts his head to look at her and she realizes she probably sounded really stupid just now.

"You mean other then you. We kind of need to have children, even if they are crazy Inuzukas."

"I know. I mean if it wasn't required by the elders, would you want children?"

"The order to have children isn't really a punishment since it would make me happy."

Hana gives him a skeptically look. "Are you positive?"

"100 percent."

The vet grins widely at him once he says that. "Good because you're going to be a great father. Raising the pups will give you some experience. You'll be a pro by the time nine months roll around."

She expects him to sit there stunned for a while after what she just revealed, but the Uchiha doesn't miss a beat. The stoic prodigy also reacts differently to the surprise than she thought he would.

"Eight months."

Hana stands there with her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Finally, she finds her voice. "What?"

"You've been delaying telling me. I already found out."

"What do you mean you already knew?!"

Itachi stares at her blankly. "I sensed a new chakra forming a week ago."

Hana groans as she flops down on the couch beside him. He can hear her murmuring things like 'stupid' and 'smart ass.' It almost seems as if she's pouting, but neither an Inuzuka nor an Uchiha would pout and she's an Inuzuka by blood and Uchiha by marriage.

"I can't believe you ruined my surprise! Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

Itachi turns her head towards him and smiles softly. "I though it would be best if you told me when you were comfortable." He gives his wife a mischievous look as he holds her chin securely in his hand. "If you want to surprise me, tell me earlier next time."

He leans in as if to tell her a secret. His warm breath tickles the vet's ear and she has to repress a shiver. "Not leaving the pregnancy test in the garbage for me to see would help too."

Hana curses causing the Uchiha to chuckle before he places feather light kisses down her jaw. Hana pushes him away and smirks at him before taking off towards their bedroom with him close behind.

Itachi knows that although things are currently the same for the most part, they're going to change dramatically in the upcoming months. He's going to go through hell, but he won't be alone. He's going to make sure Hayato's going to suffer with him.

* * *

**About 2 months later**

Itachi feels a soft poke to his side which starts bringing him to consciousness. Another poke is delivered to his side and he inwardly groans. He's about to turn over and ignore the world when the poke becomes a jab and he reluctantly opens his eyes.

The room is dark which doesn't surprise the Uchiha. He turns over to face Hana when she pokes him again.

"I'm hungry."

The prodigy sighs, knowing he won't be getting to sleep anytime soon.

"What do you want?"

Hana looks at the ceiling as she ponders what it is she's craving. The silence stretches on and Itachi feels his eyelids starting to close.

"Chocolate covered tomatoes."

"We don't have any."

"Can you go get some then?"

Itachi turns his head to look at the glowing numbers of the clock. "There aren't any shops open this early. I'll get them in the morning," he murmurs before he begins to settle back down in the bed.

"Itachi, our baby needs nutrition. You need to go get those chocolate covered tomatoes if you want our unborn child to be healthy."

Itachi fails to see how what his wife just said makes any sense. It sounds disgusting not appetizing and it can't possibly be healthy. The room falls quiet and Itachi is relieved. Then he receives another jab and he reluctantly gets out of bed.

"How many do you want?"

Hana smiles at him before replying and sending the Uchiha out to fetch her food. As the sharingan user steps out of his house, he wonders where the hell he's going to get chocolate covered tomatoes. He'll need to get the chocolate and tomatoes separately then put them together before giving them to Hana. Still, there's the problem of where he's going to get them. Everything's closed.

Although he knows this is stupid, Itachi walks over to the main house. As he knocks on the door, he blames this stupid idea on the fact that he's still half asleep. There's no response which causes Itachi to knock louder. Finally, the door flies open and Sasuke looks ready to kill him.

"What the hell are you waking me up this early for?!"

Itachi stares blankly at him. "Hana needs tomatoes."

If Sasuke could glare any harder at him, he would've. "You woke me up for f--ing tomatoes!"

Itachi nods and the door slams in his face. He bangs on the now closed door. "Come on Sasuke. You've got tons of tomatoes! I'm only asking for a few."

"Get your own!" "Just give me a few of your damn tomatoes." "Go to hell."

Itachi growls in irritation as he ceases hitting the door. His brother couldn't just help him out the one time he asks. His foolish little brother can be rather immature. He's not the only one awake when he doesn't want to be. Still, the brothers' relationship has improved and Itachi would prefer not to ruin it after coming so far.

Next, he goes to Hayato's apartment. He knocks quietly to ensure that he doesn't wake the neighbors. Being ANBU, the brunette hears the soft knock and answers the door. When he does, Hayato is rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Itachi?'

"Do you have tomatoes and chocolate?"

Hayato blinks in surprise. "Yeah, I think I've got some somewhere," he replies as he gestures behind him. "Why?"

"Hana."

Hayato's mouth forms an 'o' as he steps aside to allow the Uchiha in. He retrieves the tomatoes and chocolate Itachi requested.

Muttering 'thanks' and an apology, Itachi heads home. When he arrives, he needs to carefully step over a few snoozing puppies in order to get back to Hana. When he gets to their bedroom, Hana is waiting somewhat patiently right where he left her. One of the ever protective Haimaru Triplets has moved to the foot of the bed to keep her company while one remains guarding the window with the other sleeping on the floor near the door. The prodigy drops the food onto his wife's lap then proceeds to get under the covers.

"Itachi…" Immediately, the Uchiha begins praying. "I wanted green tomatoes."

"Green tomatoes…" he repeats. With a sigh, he reluctantly gets out of bed for the second time and heads back out into the night.

Hours later, he returns and the sun is already rising. It took him forever to find green tomatoes. No one wants to eat _green_ tomatoes so he ended up having to borrow some from a garden he passed. He doesn't plan on giving them back though. At least, he hopes he doesn't end up having to give them back because Hana no longer wanted them.

He enters the house and is greeted by the smell of ramen. The sharingan user looks up at the ceiling as he pleas silently. Unwillingly, Itachi enters the kitchen to find Hana eating some instant ramen. He drops his head when he realizes his prayers weren't answered.

"I got your tomatoes."

Hana is in the middle of slurping down some noodles as she glances up at him. "Sorry Itachi, I don't want them anymore."

'Of course she doesn't. She never does. Next time, I'm just going to sleep on Hayato's couch until morning comes then come back empty handed.'

Itachi drops the food on the counter just in case Hana wants it later. The Haimaru Triplets whimper sympathetically and Daichi licks his hand as if apologizing on behalf of his mistress. Itachi is about to leave the kitchen when Hana calls him. He turns around unwillingly to see her angry expression.

"I'm mad at you."

The Uchiha sighs again. Now he has to deal with her mood swings. "What did I do this time?"

Hana glares at him for his impassive attitude. "Don't talk to me like that," she snaps at him. "I threw up again this morning and you weren't here to comfort me."

"Hana, it's morning sickness. I couldn't be here since I was running around the village getting your tomatoes," he replies logically.

"Well maybe if you got it right the first time, you would've been here you good-for-nothing weasel."

Arguing with Hana is pointless, so Itachi decides to give in. He would like to get some sleep this week.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll do better next time." 'Oh please, don't let there be a next time. This kid had better be worth it!'

* * *

**Four Months later**

"Hana, we're going to be late."

"I'm not going!"

Itachi looks at the clock. They have to be at Hayato's apartment in twenty minutes for his surprise birthday party and Hana's not cooperating.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm fat."

"Hana, you're pregnant, not fat. There's a difference. No one's going to care. They're happy for us and want us at that party so we have to leave now or we won't be there when Hayato arrives."

Eventually, he's able to make the vet settle down with the help of her three ash grey dogs. They arrive at Hayato's apartment just in time. Genma and Shizune are there with their twins who are currently napping. A few ANBU members have come and nod to Itachi when they see him. He's recently rejoined ANBU and has gone on a few missions too. Not many due to Hana's pregnancy, but Tsunade has needed to give him some assignments on a few occasions.

There're a few other people that have come to celebrate Hayato's birthday. The pranksters, Izumo and Kotetsu, emerge from the kitchen after helping Taro with the drinks. The Uchiha makes a mental note to watch them carefully. They'd take the risk of angering Hana if it meant a few laughs, but the last thing he wanted was Hana on a rampage.

It isn't long until Hayato comes home with Sorami. He's wearing a stunned expression before a grin sweeps over his face. He greets everyone and the moment he discovers that there's alcohol, he begins drinking.

"How are you holding up Itachi?" Sorami asks.

There're dark circles under the Uchiha's eyes and he's more irritable than usual. "It's hell."

The medic smiles at his comment. "Well you've only got about two months left. It'll go by quickly."

Itachi doesn't respond as he scans the apartment for his wife. When he finds her, he frowns. She's with Hayato and the ANBU appears to be a bit drunk. Not even taking the time to think, he's beside her in an instant. He needs to stop Hayato before he says anything stupid.

"Boy Hana, you're getting pretty big!"

He's just a second too late. The temperature of the room seems to have dropped several degrees and the party has fallen dead silent. Everyone slowly turns towards Hayato in shock.

"Did you just call me fat?!" Hana shouts as she glares daggers at the man.

Itachi refrains from placing a hand on the vet's shoulder because it'll only end up angering her more. Instead, he tries to defend his brown-haired friend.

"Hayato didn't say that. He's just drunk and isn't making sure he's wording his sentences properly. There's no reason to beat the crap out of him on his birthday, unlike on other occasions. He's just saying that the baby's healthy in a really stupid way."

Hana turns her glare to him. "So now you're saying our baby's stupid, you idiotic weasel."

'Oh crap.' "No, I'd never-"

"And why are you defending Hayato? I bet it's because you're gay and you'd rather have married him instead," Hana claims, cutting Itachi off.

Snickering is heard from Izumo and Kotetsu when Hana calls Itachi 'gay.' The Uchiha has the urge to make them suffer the Tsukuyomi for laughing at him.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!"

The pranksters immediately stop and panic crosses their faces when Hana directs her anger at them. Thankfully, Genma and Shizune went home already because Hana probably would've scared the babies to death.

Hana is about to lunge at the two chuunin when Itachi restrains her. His wife has always been short-tempered, but being pregnant makes her a thousand times worse. Deciding it would be best to get Hana out of there, Itachi bids everyone good-bye and takes her home.

He settles her comfortably on the couch and kisses her forehead. She crosses her arms over her chest and scowls at the sharingan user.

Somehow, a smile creeps onto Itachi's face and he says "I love you."

The woman gives him a suspicious look at his odd behavior. She doesn't reply which causes Itachi to smile more. He pulls a chocolate bar from his pocket and the vet's eyes light up upon seeing it. She puts on as innocent of a face as she can.

"I love you, Itachi."

He chuckles as he holds out the chocolate and she snatches it from his hand. Itachi places another kiss on her forehead and this time, Hana responds with a grin. She wraps her arms around him and murmurs an apology for her actions earlier. Telling her not to worry about it, he sits down beside her as she starts eating her candy bar.

"Hey Itachi?"

"Hm?"

"You said I couldn't beat up Hayato since today's his birthday. I can do it tomorrow though, right?"

"Hana you can do anything you want to him tomorrow. Izumo and Kotetsu as well. I suggest kill the chuunin, but let Hayato live so he has to serve Sorami when she's pregnant."

Hana nods enthusiastically before continuing to munch on her chocolate. After a while, Itachi notices the candy is gone and Hana is now trying to reach for the TV remote. She gives up and merely shoots Itachi a pleading look before he grabs the remote from the table and hands it to her. He can't wait until she begins acting like her normal self again.

Hana smiles widely at him. "Thanks weasel," she says as she pats his head.

"Please stop calling me that."

* * *

**I'm thinking another chapter or two then this story is done and I can begin the sequel. It depends on how much content I have left. Please review!**


	27. Today of All Days

**Today of All Days**

A shinobi stops on a tree branch and surveys the area. He's wearing a standard ANBU uniform and carries a katana on his back. His face is covered by a porcelain mask, painted to resemble a weasel.

The man glances up the tree to see his partner standing at the very top. With a flicker, the shinobi disappears from the top of the tree and reappears beside him. His mask takes on the appearance of a smirking falcon.

"The storm has passed. Not a single cloud can be seen in the direction of Konoha," the Falcon states. "We shouldn't need to stop again."

The other nods and the two ANBU begin leaping from branch to branch once more. Not much is said between them, but the Falcon can sense that something is troubling his partner.

"Something bothering you, Itachi?"

There's no response from the Uchiha. Behind his mask, Hayato rolls his eyes.

"Is something bothering you, _Weasel_?"

"Hn…"

"No one's around to hear me call you by your actually name, dumbass."

"Still, you're not supposed to use actual names when on a mission," the man deadpans. "Rules are rules and I don't make them."

"Whatever…so are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Hayato asks. Irritation is clear in his voice.

Again, Itachi doesn't reply which frustrates the brunette.

"If you're worried about Hana, then you shouldn't be. She's fine. You should be glad you were able to get away from her for few days. She drives me insane and I don't have to see her 24/7!" Hayato announces.

"She's nine months pregnant. She could go into labor any moment and I might not get back in time."

Sensing Itachi's desire to get home quickly, Hayato picks up the pace. "On the bright side if you do miss it, you won't have to get your ass chewed off in the delivery room."

Itachi can tell that his friend is grinning behind his mask. There had been a smile in his friend's voice as he spoke.

"That may be true, but then I'll have to deal with Hana's wrath for not being present the rest of my life."

Hayato shrugs. "You can either deal with crazy, pregnant Hana for several hours or normal Hana until the day you die. And let's not forget that you'll have normal Hana for the rest of your life anyway," he points out.

"I would get to see my child being born," Itachi retorts.

"I suppose that is a plus," Hayato admits. "I still don't know if it would be worth it though…"

The duo silently moves through the trees as they head towards Konoha. After a few hours, they arrive at the village gates. They're tired and in need of rest after their mission. While Hayato can't wait to Sorami again, Itachi is anxious to make sure nothing happened to Hana while he was gone for a week.

Once they enter the village, they spot Kakashi not far away reading his book. Noticing them, the masked ninja lifts a hand in greeting and they can tell he's smiling by the way the corner of his eye crinkles.

"You might what to head to the hospital instead of the Hokage's office, Weasel," Kakashi suggests with a glint amusement in his eye.

Before the two shinobi have time to comprehend what was just said, a shout is heard and a frantic Shizune appears in front of them.

"Itachi-san, you're needed at the hospital immediately! Hana is giving the medics a hard time," she cries as she grabs his arm and tries to pull him towards the hospital.

Hayato begins laughing hysterically. "I can't believe you almost missed it. Hana's going to kill you!" he manages to say through his laughter. He quickly becomes serious and alarm shows on his face. "She's going to KILL YOU! I'll hand the mission report while you get the hospital"

Itachi doesn't waste anymore time and dashes off towards the hospital leaving Shizune, Kakashi, and Hayato behind. As he nears the building, he can already tell that the experience won't be a pleasant one. Although he isn't positive, he's sure he can hear yelling.

Once inside, he hurries to the panicky receptionist and asks for his wife. Relief washes over the woman's face as she quickly tells him where to go. Again, he moves as quickly as his tired legs will carry him. As he gets closer to Hana's room, he can make out violent threats and he prays that he'll survive whatever hell he's about to go through.

He smoothly dodges a few doctors and nurses as he removes his weasel mask from his face. Soon, the Uchiha finds himself in front of the door that will lead to his doom. He barely notices Kiba sitting outside and pauses briefly to give the young man a nod in acknowledgement in his haste. Any other greeting is cut off when swearing is heard behind the door.

"Where is that piece of crap?! I'm going to castrate him for putting me through this hell! I'm going to make sure he never has anymore children!"

Behind him, Kiba chuckles awkwardly. "She's been yelling threats for a while now. Nee-chan actually threw a few punches in her rage," the Inuzuka says and Itachi notices that the boy is massaging his arm where a bruise has developed. "Stay out of range and you should survive," the younger advises.

Itachi nods and reluctantly grabs the handle of the door. He enters the room and is immediately greeted by the fury of Uchiha Hana.

"THERE YOU ARE, YOU LOUSY WEASEL! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!"

The Uchiha winces from the sheer volume of her voice and refrains from covering his ears. He notices that Sorami and Tsume, who were attempting to calm Hana down, make an effort to protect their ears since they're much closer to the vet.

"Were the hell have you been?" Hana shouts at him. Her nose wrinkles in disgust when she smells a mixture of blood and sweat coming from her husband. "And why the hell do you smell so bad? I'm going to f--ing throw up."

"I was on a mission. Don't you remember?" he says as he comes to stand beside her and tries to remain composed.

"You could've gotten here sooner. You also could've showered first. You smell awful. I'm about to die from the fumes!"

"I thought you'd rather have me here as soon as possible instead of taking my time to shower."

"I'd rather you shower so I don't die! And get that cursed thing away from be before I cut if off with a rusty kunai," Hana hollers as she points at his pants.

Itachi frowns as he looks down at himself. Sure it's his 'fault' Hana's pregnant, but it really can't be all that bad. There's really no need for the vet to threaten to remove _that._

Sorami speaks softly to try and soothe Hana while Tsume sniffs the air. The Inuzuka wrinkles her nose and shoots a glance at the sharingan user.

"You do smell," she admits with a shrug.

The sharingan user pretends he didn't hear her and grasps Hana's hand. "How long have you been here?" he asks.

"Four hours," one of the doctors mutters as he massages his temples. "Four hours of hell."

"And it's all your fault, you bastard! I swear I'm going to castrate you for this!"

The Uchiha winces and unconsciously shifts his body to shield the threatened part of his anatomy. After a little while of more insults, there's a hesitant knock on the door before Hayato pokes his head in. He tries to keep his face calm and friendly despite the fact that he can clearly see that Hana's knuckles are slightly red from making contact with Itachi's jaw, which the Uchiha is currently rubbing to ease the pain.

"I'm sorry we couldn't return any sooner Hana-chan," he says nervously with a smile. The prodigy raises an eyebrow at his friend at the addition of the affectionate suffix. "How about you let Itachi go home for a few minutes to shower so the baby doesn't have to inhale his stench the moment it enter the world? Inuzukas do have incredible senses of smell."

"At least someone here has some intelligence. And I thought you were supposed to be the genius," Hana growls as she shoots a glare in Itachi's direction.

Taking a risk, Itachi bends over to place a quick kiss on her sweaty forehead before promising to be back as soon as possible. As the Uchiha heads towards the door, Hana calls to Hayato.

"Make sure to keep his lazy ass moving."

"Of course," the brunette replies as he gives a quick bow. Itachi moves passed him and mutters 'suck up' under his breath. Hayato flashes the sharingan user a wicked smirk. Quickly, he straightens and smacks the back of Itachi's head. "Hurry up Uchiha, we don't have all day!" he shouts at him before directing a smile and thumbs-up in Hana's direction.

The moment the door shuts Hayato's bravery vanishes because angry red eyes are glaring at him. Holding his hands up defensively, the brunette backs away from his best friend.

"Oi, I got you out of there, didn't I?"

The muscles in Itachi's jaw clench before he inhales deeply to compose himself. His eyes return to their normal obsidian although they're still glaring slightly.

"Hana-_chan_?" Itachi asks with a questioning stare.

Hayato puts his hands behind his head and begins walking down the hall. "I could hear her cussing you out from down the hall, you know? I wasn't about to piss her off anymore. I do value my life." With a chuckle he adds, "And I would like to keep my male parts."

"GET MOVING!" they hear Hana shout causing them to jump and start sprinting to the Uchiha compound.

It isn't long before the duo returns. Hayato takes pleasure in remaining in the hall with Kiba while Itachi joins Hana and Tsume in the hospital room. Sorami ensures that everything is going well while another medic is standing by until they're actually needed.

After a few more hours, the cursing ceases and is replaced by the wails of a baby. The others have decided to give the parents a moment alone with their baby boy and leave the room once the child wrapped in a blue blanket is carefully handed to Hana.

"Wasn't that worth it?" Itachi asks quietly sensing his wife's happiness.

"I guess," she mutters in reply. "Too bad he looks like you though. Has your hair."

Although she doesn't sound pleased by this fact, the Uchiha can clearly see the smile on her face that betrays her. Glancing down at his son, the sharingan user places a gentle hand on the baby's head. His black hair is soft under his father's fingers. The action causes the baby to open its eyes and reveal they too are obsidian like his father's.

"He's got your eyes too," Hana remarks. Itachi shifts beside her and Hana smiles to herself.

Carefully, the vet holds the boy out to her husband. The prodigy seems startled for a moment by the gesture, but takes the boy in his arms anyway. For the woman, it's sort of strange seeing _the_ Uchiha Itachi holding a baby with such care. The same man who massacred his clan (although not intentionally) is standing in front of her and seems to be afraid of harming the fragile little being which is his own son.

The baby blinks up at Itachi with his large black eyes and the Uchiha smiles softly. He waves his finger at the baby who tries to grab at it. Eventually, he catches then blinks a few times before sticking it in his mouth and biting his father's finger.

Itachi chuckles quietly before grinning at Hana. "He has your attitude."

She returns the smile. "I'm sorry about the whole castrating you thing, Itachi."

Itachi quirks an eyebrow at her. "That's all you're sorry for?"

The vet rolls her eyes before continuing. "I'm sorry for punching you and calling you names and getting mad at you for no reason and all that other stuff you had to deal with while I was pregnant."

Itachi smiles again and bends over to place a kiss on her forehead. "It's all right. Just remember this conversation next time you're pregnant."

Hana flushes and sputters slightly at the comment.

"Relax Hana. Not yet."

Relief washes over her face and she slouches back on the bed. "Thank god! I don't think I can go through this again so soon."

"You and me both," Itachi adds. "You can be a handful believe it or not."

Hana growls slightly at the joke. Itachi turns his attention back to the baby in his arms. His son yawns and the Uchiha can see his little tongue and gums. The baby smiles up at him and gives a small giggle before snuggling up to his father.

After that, a few people come and go to congratulate them and see the baby. Kiba had gone home to retrieve the Haimaru Triplets so Hana could give them some attention and get the baby used to them. As Kiba holds his nephew, he tells him that he'll help him train and become an awesome ninja like himself. He goes on about the baby will getting his own dog one of these days just like the other Inuzuka.

Sakura had come by with Sasuke to guarantee he visited his new nephew. The younger Uchiha had even held the boy briefly. He was sure to keep his face impassive although Itachi noticed his brother smile at his nephew the moment he thought no one was looking. Sakura continuously gushed about how cute he is and was extremely happy when she got a chance to hold him. Itachi smirks at Sasuke and shifts his gaze to the pink haired medic as she goes on about how she hopes to have a cute baby. The younger Uchiha tries to hide his blush. When Sakura notices his reddened face, she wonders if he's not feeling well. She's oblivious to Itachi's silent hint.

Then, Hayato enters the room along with Sorami. Upon seeing the newborn, he feigns disappointment. "Eh, he looks exactly like you Itachi. That is except for the face lines. What's that all about anyway?"

Itachi ignores the comment and merely stares at the brunette as his friend leans over to examine his son. Hayato puts a hand to his chin as if he's contemplating something.

"I guess he's not mine then," Hayato states as he straightens. He flashes a smile at Hana and Itachi.

"Baka," the vet mutters.

"So what's his name? I asked everyone once they left the room, but they refused to fill me in on that little detail," the ANBU grumbles.

"Uchiha Hideo," Itachi states as he touches his baby's head fondly.

Hayato nods as he peers closely at Hideo again. The baby grunts and starts laughing, causing some spit to hit the ANBU in the face. Rising, Hayato looks grossed out.

"Why'd he do that?" he whines.

Hana rolls her eyes. "He's a _baby_, Hayato. Other then eat, poop, cry, and sleep, that's all he does."

"How…boring," he replies with a sigh.

Under his breath, Itachi murmurs "He did it because he knows you're an idiot."

Hayato crosses his arms over his chest and Sorami gives him a comforting hug. He grumbles incoherently under his breath. Apparently, he needs to remind Itachi that it's thanks to him that he has a baby at all. If it weren't for this so called idiot, he still wouldn't even be close to telling Hana how he felt.

Hayato bends over and whispers quietly to Hideo. "When you grow up, don't hide the fact that you love someone like your parents did."

Hayato peeks behind him to see Itachi smiling warmly at Hana. There was a point where he thought the cold Uchiha didn't have a caring bone in his body. That he didn't have a heart or if he did, it was frozen and could never be melted.

The ANBU looks at Sorami and his own loving smile appears on his face. Glancing back at Hideo, he says "If you don't, you'll miss out on something great."

**I really liked the way this chapter ended. It was really cute in my opinion. One more chapter to go. I don't think it'll be that long. By the way, Hideo means 'Excelling man." I thought it suit the Uchiha clan very well, especially since he's Itachi's son. Since a majority of people that reviewed wanted a sequel, guess what? There isn't going to be one. Sorry.**

**Just kidding! Man, I could almost feel the hateful glares and see the death threats that would pop up in the reviews. I may be over exaggerating a tad, but who cares.**


	28. Epilogue

**I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed throughout the posting of this story. I really appreciated the support you guys have given me and just want to let you know that I'm grateful.**

**This is the last chapter. I hope you guys like it. I sort of feel sad that it's ending…but that's the way things work. Anyway, on with the story…**

* * *

**Epilogue**

There's a knock on the door and Itachi shifts the baby boy in his arms as he stands. On the floor, Hideo grabs a fistful of Hiro's fur as he tries to climb onto the large dog's back. Hana's dog yelps at the painful tug, but allows the infant to climb on top of him. Hiro follows Itachi to the door and is careful not to make Hideo fall.

Itachi barely opens the door when two more children are pushed into his house. Hayato mutters a brief explanation before departing so the sharingan user can't argue. He stares down at the two extremely similar children at his feet.

These are Gemna and Shizune's three year-old twins, Reiko and Morio. Reiko is the slightly older of the two siblings. Her brown hair comes up to her shoulders and becomes black at the tips. Morio, on the other hand, has slightly shorter and messier black hair that has natural brown highlights. They're faces are the same for the most part. Both have brown eyes and are staring up at the Uchiha with curiosity clear on their faces.

In his arms, Ryuu begins to get restless. Itachi looks down at the infant to see his green eyes, which he inherited from his mother, start to water (Itachi is incredibly grateful that the heir of the Uchiha clan wasn't born with his mother's pink hair). That's all the warning he gets before the newest Uchiha starts bawling.

Now Itachi can see why his father repeatedly told him that Uchiha's don't show emotion. The crying really does get annoying. The sharingan user frowns slightly as he glances down at his own son. Hideo hasn't made a single noise in the past two hours or so which makes Itachi question his father's philosophy. The two cousins look almost identical with their dark black hair and pale features, but their personalities, as well as their eyes, are extremely different.

Although he isn't sure what exactly he needs to do with his nephew to make the crying cease, the sharingan knows not to tell him to 'shut up' as much as he wishes he could. It'll do nothing to help the situation so Itachi tries to decipher the meaning behind Ryuu's wails. Deciding that Sasuke's son must be hungry, Itachi prepares a bottle of milk.

He just finishes feeding Ryuu when there's a crash back in the living room. Once he enters the room, he nearly drops Ryuu in surprise. It's a mess with the table overturned, the lamp is unplugged from the wall and on the other side of the room, and the pillows from the couch scattered about the floor. But the culprits are currently missing. Itachi is puzzled by how much damage they could do in such short time.

A squeal is heard and Hiro comes tearing into the room with Hideo ridding on his back. The one and a half year old is pulling on the dog's ears causing Hiro to run around the room. Reiko and Morio are chasing after the duo.

When Hiro sprints passed him, the Uchiha grabs his son from the canine's back. Ryuu blinks at his cousin who's now being held in Itachi's arms as well. Quickly, the sharingan user goes to Hideo's room and places the two infants in the crib. Now that they're out of the way, he goes to take care of Reiko and Morio before cleaning up after the tornado that went through the living room.

Itachi gives them some paper and crayons to draw before leaving them in the kitchen so he can start picking up the chaos that used to be the living room. After a while, he realizes that it's a bit too quiet in the house. He goes to check on Hideo and Ryuu to find them sleeping. Hideo is curled up with his back to his baby cousin while Ryuu is sprawled out, one of his chubby hands covering Hideo's face. Hiro lays beside the crib, more alert than normal since his siblings are with Hana at the clinic.

Knowing things are well with the baby Uchihas, he heads to the kitchen next. His jaw drops at the site before him.

"What are you doing?" he asks although he knows exactly what the twins are doing. They're coloring on the wall. They turn and stare at him with their big brown eyes. Sensing she did something wrong, Reiko drops her head and puts her hands behind her back. Morio pouts under the Uchiha's intimidating gaze before turning his eyes to stare at his feet.

"Sorry Uchiha-san," Reiko says apologetically. Morio too murmurs something that sounds like an apology.

Itachi sighs and grabs their hands before leading them into the living room. It's getting late and they should go to sleep. He prepares one of the couches for them to sleep on before leaving them to take care of his now colorful wall.

As he scrubs the wall, the sharingan user ponders why he's the one that got stuck baby-sitting tonight. He'd barely gotten home from ANBU patrol when Hana had to go to the clinic for an emergency. He never got the opportunity to change out of his ANBU uniform. The chest armor and arm guards are still on him. Only his mask is missing from his outfit.

After what seems like forever, Itachi's scrubbed off every mark from the wall. He's stiff from crouching for so long and his back cracks as he stretches. Wandering into the living room, Itachi collapses on a free couch.

His eyes drift closed only for him to peek out when the door opens. Daisuke and Takeo trot in and down the hall as Hana enters. She spots him resting on the couch and comes over to join him. She smiles upon seeing Genma and Shizune's twins lying peacefully on the other couch.

"Rough day?" she questions seeing Itachi's disheveled appearance. Her question receives a grunt in response. The vet chuckles slightly before her gaze falls on the sleeping toddlers again.

"Why are Reiko and Morio here?"

Itachi doesn't even open his eyes as he responds. "Hayato was supposed to watch them, but he dropped them off earlier. Said he needed to take Sorami to get a check up and couldn't bring them with. Don't know when he's supposed to pick them up, if at all."

Hana nods before standing up.

"Sasuke brought Ryuu over too." Without pausing, he answers her unasked question. "He and Sakura went to dinner with Naruto and Hinata. The Uzumaki's left their baby with Hyuuga Neji and Tenten so their children could spend time together."

Again, Hana nods. "I'm guessing everything went well for the most part."

"You'd think so seeing how peaceful they all appear now. Sleeping, they're angels, but when they're awake, baby-sitting them can be a real pain."

Itachi stands and leads his wife to Hideo's room. She peers at her son to see him and Ryuu in the same position Itachi had seen them in before. Hana smiles as she wraps her arms around Itachi's waist.

"Imagine having another baby around here to look after," she murmurs.

"It'd be hectic," Itachi says tiredly.

Hana smiles to herself as she stands behind Itachi. Her head is resting on his shoulder and she tilts it to whisper in his ear.

"Yeah, I guess it will be." Itachi catches the amusement in his wife's voice and for the first time, he notices the flicker of chakra at her abdomen.

"What?" he asks in shock.

Hana kisses his shoulder and traces the ANBU tattoo on his arm. He can tell she's trying to suppress laughter after witnessing his reaction.

"I'm pregnant again," she states.

Itachi spins around and smirks at her. "Really now?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. When she nods, his face goes blank and he sighs. "Well, I guess we don't really have a choice. I'm going to have to deal with you for nine more months of hell just to have another child to add to my already stressful life."

Hana hits his shoulder for the comment. Itachi allows a wide smirk to take over his face.

"I suppose we'll manage," he says quietly as he pulls the vet closer to him. "I'm sure we could handle one or two more, maybe even six."

Hana's eyes widen at those words. She relaxes slightly when she sees the humor in his eyes.

"I think two is our limit," he says quietly as he rests his forehead against hers.

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Really? What about restoring the Uchiha clan?"

"The elders only ordered us to have one and restoring the clan is Sasuke's goal, not mine," he states as if the answer was obvious. "I prefer a smaller family so we could all have good relationships and depend on each other. Three would still be fine, but I think two would be best. I've always preferred a smaller family so I wouldn't neglect one of my children."

Hana smiles, knowing he means he doesn't want to focus on one of his children and ignore another's abilities. Itachi doesn't want to end up doing the same thing his father had done. The last thing he wants is to raise a son or daughter that followed the same path he did.

"Agreed." She glances over at Hideo. "So when do you think Hideo-kun should get his tattoos?"

Even now, Itachi is still getting used to the former Inuzuka Hana adding the suffix -kun to anybody's name. It doesn't throw off his response though.

"He's not getting tattoos." The statement is firm and tells Hana that Itachi doesn't plan on changing his mind.

"Hello, there're Inuzuka traditions that need to be up kept!"

Itachi pulls Hana from Hideo's room so the babies aren't disturbed.

"That task is given to Kiba since he's going to become the Inuzuka clan leader. Hideo can get a dog, but no tattoos." Seeing Hana about to protest, he adds "Think of it as repaying me for helping you with your plan. You remember the one about Hayato and Sorami."

Hana looks confused for a moment before she remembers what he's talking about. "We settled that already!" she hisses.

The Uchiha raises an eyebrow. "I don't recall ever telling you what I wanted."

Flashback

Sorami feels her face grow a tad warmer. She hadn't even noticed that the food arrived. Hayato is able to distract her so easily. She smiles in embarrassment and pulls her breakfast closer. Unknown to the two friends was the fact that they're being watched. A certain Inuzuka observes the two from a rooftop across the street.

"This is stupid," Itachi murmurs as he stands beside a crouching Hana.

"Whatever," Hana replies. "When you spoke with him, did you mention that someone likes him?"

"No."

Hana throws a glare in her boyfriend's direction. "Why not?! Now it'll take a while until he figures out that Sorami likes him!"

The Uchiha ignores her irritation as he continues to watch his friend. "If I told Hayato, he'd read into everything. Any gesture from a woman could give him the wrong idea. It's best if he figures it out himself," he explains.

Hana turns her attention back to the couple sitting in the restaurant. "I guess you're right," she reluctantly admits. "He does seem to be making progress."

Itachi moves directly behind the Inuzuka and pulls her up into him. He rests his head on her shoulder and says "You owe me for my services."

A shiver shoots down Hana's back as the sharingan user boldly licks her neck. "And what did you have in mind?" she asks knowingly. She feels him shrug as he nuzzles her neck. Hana rolls her eyes as his antics. She turns in his arms and gives him a peck on the lips.

"I have a few ideas," she states with a smirk.

The Uchiha returns the smirk before releasing her. He jumps down from the roof and Hana follows him. When she realizes they're going towards the restaurant, Hana tries to stop him, but Itachi ignores her. He quickly says something to Hayato before turning and nearly dragging the stunned Inuzuka out of the restaurant. They leave just as quickly as they came.

"What the hell Itachi?! Where are you taking me?" Hana says. The Uchiha smirks at her and replies "We're going to your place."

End Flashback

"I knew what you wanted and that's what we did. We didn't leave the bedroom for hours!"

Itachi smirks, whether it's from the memory or something else, Hana isn't sure. "I may've wanted that, but I never told you. You brought it up on your own and I simply agreed. Therefore, I still need to be repaid."

"Whatever, but the next one gets tattoos!" Hana demands.

"Fine, but they won't be like yours since the baby won't have the Inuzuka name. They'll get a different one that won't be on their face." Hana frowns slightly, but gives in. "Besides, both our children will have canine companions. Wouldn't you prefer that over the tattoos?"

"I guess you're right…Maintaining a relationship with our canine companions is far more important," the vet admits. "I get to pick the final name for this baby though," she adds as she brushes a hand over her abdomen.

"Deal," the prodigy agrees before nipping her bottom lip.

Hana smiles and leans in to give him a kiss, but they're stopped by a knock on the door. Pulling away from each other, the two answer the door to discover Hayato and Sorami. The medic is smiling warmly at them while Hayato looks like he's going to break his face with the huge grin he's wearing.

"It's a girl!" he exclaims as he gently places a hand on his wife's swollen belly.

They congratulate the couple and decide to hold back their own news for now, not wanting to ruin the moment. After conversing shortly, Sasuke and Sakura return from dinner to pick up Ryuu before going home. Deciding they too should head home, the Tsuki leave with Genma and Shizune's twins.

Finally having a free moment, Itachi changes out of his ANBU uniform. When he finishes, the sharingan user finds his wife back in Hideo's room. She's staring down at the peaceful baby as if memorizing everything about him.

Itachi comes up behind her and places his hands on her waist. She leans back against him as he rests his chin on the top of her head.

"You should go to sleep, Hana."

She remains silent although she does shoot him a glance over her shoulder. The Uchiha spins her around and backs her into a wall.

"If you don't want to sleep, there're other things we can do," he whispers suggestively as he strokes her arm.

Hana grins at him and pulls his head towards her to connect their mouths. When Itachi swipes his tongue across her bottom lip, the vet keeps her lips sealed to tease him. The Uchiha groans quietly as he forces her lips to part and his tongue enters her mouth. The prodigy grinds his hips against Hana's which make her face heat up slightly.

Itachi is about to be rewarded for his actions with a moan from Hana when they're disturbed. A little giggle is heard behind them, causing them to freeze. They remain together for a moment before Itachi takes his tongue out of the vet's mouth realizing they weren't alone in the room. They turn their attentions towards Hideo's crib to find him sitting up and smiling widely at them.

Sighing, Itachi steps away from Hana and walks over to the crib. Hideo reaches up to his father and the prodigy gently lifts his son into his arms. He rubs the baby's small back comfortingly. Hideo's dark shirt is soft to the touch and he proudly wears the Uchiha fan on his back. Hana approaches and smoothes Hideo's soft, black hair before kissing his head lightly.

Itachi meets Hana's eyes, silently telling her to bring the Haimaru Triplets to their bedroom for the night. She nods in understanding and with that, they enter their room. Itachi places Hideo in the middle of the bed so he and Hana still have room. The couple crawls into bed as well and lay down with their son between them. Itachi brings his hand up so his fingers brush Hideo's soft, pale skin. The one and a half year old baby scoots closer to the man who is his father and grasps his shirt.

Itachi watches Hideo drift to sleep and glances at Hana when he feels her gaze on him. She's smiling at him as she reaches over to caress his cheek. Itachi carefully shifts so he's lying on his back and Hideo is asleep on his chest and stomach.

The Uchiha stares intently at his wife causing her to roll her eyes. Nevertheless, she scoots over so she's lying beside him, her head using his shoulder as a pillow. Itachi slips his arm to hold her to him comfortably.

The ever protective Haimaru Triplets have taken their positions around the room. Hiro has taken to guarding the window while Takeo sleeps on the floor near the door. Daisuke has positioned himself in the corner so he can see everything in the room.

Feeling safe and happy, the family falls asleep. Their futures remain uncertain although they know good and bad times are still to come. For now though, all that matters is each other.

* * *

**I somehow needed to wrap up the story and this is what I ended up with. Personally, I preferred the end of the last chapter as a good way to finish the story, but I really wanted to get a few details in before I completed this fanfic.**

**I hope to start the sequel soon, but I really need to come up with a title first. I would love suggestions, but it's sort of hard when you have no idea what I'm going to write about in the sequel. I can't really share anything with you though in fear of ruining the story. If you do have any suggestions though, feel free to let me know and I could possibly work off the title you give me to make it fit the sequel.**

**Also, I need to focus on another fanfic I'm currently writing. Going back and forth can be a pain sometimes and I'd really like to focus all my effort into one at a time. That way I can make the story as good as possible. I'll try to get the sequel to ****The Past Never Fades**** as soon as possible, but it won't be until I've either finished my other fanfic or am nearly done with it.**


	29. Sequel Info

**Hey everyone, lonely-Umbreon here.**

**I just wanted to let you know that the sequel will be called '****Promise of the Heart' so keep your eyes open if you want to read it****. Crappy I know, but that's all I've got. I'm open to any suggestions for a new title so let me know if you've got any.**

**I wish there was more for me to write...er, type but I've got nothing. Hope you read the sequel. You guys are awesome.**

**lonely-Umbreon455**

**P.S. I want to give a special thanks to all my faithful reviewers like _Music Lover Always, Cheese Maiden, Quiet Moon, tinejensen, minniemousemom, Kwolf425, animegirl101, nmshy, KibaIsHOTT, Acewarrior, WindKitsuneofDarkness, Surfwizard, wild Hinata, xTomomi-Itachi's-Stalkerx, _and last but not least, _kittyanimeluvr. _I really appreciated receiving your reviews. Some really brightened my day and I'm happy you took the time to send me a review. I thought I'd return the favor and give you guys some acknowledgement for what you did.**


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